Date: 2018-06-28

Disturbed by the spate of killings in Plateau State, the Labour Party yesterday challenged the Federal Government to convey a security summit in a bid to harvest practical solution to the heinous act.

The party said the startling figures of people killed in the pogrom were an indication that security agencies in the country are overstretched, hence the need to rise to the occasion.

The National Chairman of the party, Dr Mike Omotosho, said this in a statement issued, a copy of which was extended to The Herald in Ilorin yesterday.

He said it was saddened that over 150 lives of Nigerians were terminated in the Plateau State massacre allegedly perpetrated by suspected herdsmen.

Omotosho, in the statement titled "The Plateau Massacre: A Genocide Too Many!", called for conclusive investigation into how the atrocities were committed instead of the usual blame game.

He urged the government to deploy available resources at its disposal to probe the incident and bring the perpetrators to account.

Describing the attacks as threat to the nation's fragile democracy, Omotosho challenged Nigerians to unite and rise in solidarity of security agencies and reject the treachery of murderous herdsmen, marauding terrorists and others of similar ilks.

The Labour Party boss also admonished Nigerians to turn down groups or individuals with intention to profit from the carnage and particularly those who fester spirit of division and violence.

"I am greatly saddened by the incident in Plateau where over 150 Nigerian lives were lost to the attacks of armed bandits. This is indeed highly worrisome, unfortunate and pathetic and we are pained by this recent attack that affected over nine villages in the state.

"I mourn and commiserate with the Governor, His Excellency, Simon Bako Lalong and the good people of Plateau State on their loss over this heartless and ungodly genocide. Such inhumanity should not be heard or experienced anywhere within our borders.

"Whilst it is easy to apportion blames in a most difficult period of this nature, it is pertinent for us all to honour the memories of the dead by conclusively investigating why and how such large scale atrocities were successfully committed, and how in times of peace, about 200 lives were bludgeoned to death in our nation.

"The Federal Government, should as a matter of immediate national security, deploy every resource towards investigating and bringing the perpetrators of such heinous crimes to account.

"More importantly, the administration needs to convey a stakeholders' summit, wherein the security of our nation, particularly, internal security, would be sole agenda. As things stand, it does appear like our security forces, the Army, Police and other forces are stretched thin across different zones of this nation.

"This has paralyzed their ability to be proactive in deploying intelligence and tactical assets to prevent bloodshed of such scale and magnitude of our countrymen. The National Security Adviser (NSA), Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Chief of Defense Staff, Inspector General of Police, and others qualified guardians of our national security should rise to this challenge and seek to honour the dead by ensuring such tragedies never happen anywhere within our nation ever again.

"Finally, as 2019 draws even closer, these gruesome killings threaten our fragile democracy and the very bond that we share as a nation–our diversity. Unless the government, and we the governed rise and unite in solidarity, to reject the treachery of murderous herdsmen, marauding terrorists and others of similar ilk, to charge our security forces and hold them to account by earning their stripes, to be our brothers' keepers and the fellow-defenders of our countrymen, this negative tide and wanton loss of lives may not be nipped in the bud as quickly as required.

"I urge the citizens of Plateau and other empathetic Nigerians to be calm and not take the law into their hands, but, to use this difficult moment to respond to one another in love and mutual respect. Securing our neighbourhood should not just be left to the police and security forces, it must become the responsibility of us all, watching out for the lives and property of the community like they were ours. "Nigerians should also reject without reservation every group or individuals who seek to profit off this carnage and particularly those who fester spirit of division, violence or segregation.Surely, our country will arise from this as one nation, undivided, bound as always in freedom, peace and unity", Omotosho said.