A delegation comprising the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Hassan Abubakar, Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, Minister of State for Defence Bello Muhammed Matawalle, and Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu, have landed in Jos, Plateau State. Their visit is in response to the recent attacks in Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi communities, where bandits killed over 100 people on Christmas Day.
A video shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Channels TV captured the security chiefs and ministers disembarking from a presidential jet upon their arrival in Jos.
The delegation’s visit follows a summons by the Senate, prompted by a motion of urgent importance moved by Senator Diket Plang (APC, Plateau Central), in response to the tragic incidents.
In addition to the military heads, the Senate also extended invitations to the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Yusuf Bichi, and the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
The attackers targeted several villages in the Barkin Ladi, Mangu, and Bokkos areas of Plateau State, including Ndun, Ngyong, Murfet, Makundary, Tamiso, Chiang, Tahore, Gawarba, Dares, Meyenga, Darwat, and Butura Kampani. The assailants set houses ablaze and indiscriminately shot residents.
In the aftermath, Mallaig, the Chairman of Community Peace Observers in the Bokkos Local Government Area, reported to The PUNCH that over 150 people lost their lives in the attacks, with more than 10,000 individuals displaced in the LGA alone.
President Bola Tinubu condemned the attack and ordered a manhunt for the perpetrators, while Vice President Kashim Shettima, during his visit to the affected communities, assured that the government is committed to ensuring justice for the victims of the gruesome attacks.