Panel to probe Plateaus killings
News & Trends •
source63 barely four days after the deadly attacks that left 86 people dead plateau state house of assembly set up a seven-man special committee to probe the attacks in parts of the state1 the committee is to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the attacks identify the perpetrators ascertain the number of communities affected and the extent of destruction and make appropriate recommendations1 the speaker of the house mr peter azi directed the committee to report back its findings in four weeks1 the committee was set up followed a motion moved at plenary by mr peter ibrahim member representing jos barikin ladi constituency1 ibrahim narrated the incident saying that his constituents have been under siege by gunmen suspected to be herdsmen since last saturday1 mr speaker it is no longer news that my constituency has been under siege for the past few days leading to loss of lives and property1 by my count we have lost more than 200 lives many severely injured and a lot of houses and farmlands destroyed1 as i speak sir a lot of my constituents are reported missing and thousands displaced since the ugly incident started1 i have on several occasions brought cases of attacks and killings in my constituency before this honourable house unfortunately they have never stopped1 he panel is headed by mr yusuf gagdi to investigate the weekends killings in 11 villages in barikin ladi local government area and some villages in bokkos and riyom1 the lawmaker called for the investigation of security operatives in the area urging the government to intensify effort at ending the incessant attacks1 contributing mr ysufu gagdi member representing kantana constituency described the spate of attacks that have led to the loss of many lives as unfortunate1 gagdi a former deputy speaker of the assembly also expressed displeasure at the role of government and security agents at restoring peace to the state1 no matter the level of physical infrastructure no matter how beautiful our schools hospitals roads and others are without peace and tranquillity all is in vain1 so our government must make it a point of duty to ensure the security of lives and property for anything short of that means the government has failed he said1 in his submission the minority leader of the house mr daniel dem called for a review of the security architecture in the state1 according to him the people have lost confidence in the security agencies deployed in the state stressing the need for a change in strategy1 he therefore urged the state government to set up a civilian joint task force to build confidence in the people in the affected areas1 so i wish to urge this honourable house to as a matter of urgency act fast and salvage my people he said1