‘Re-examine yourselves,’ Tinubu tells Plateau elders

FG approves ₦2bn relief for victims

President Bola Tinubu has called on political, traditional, and community leaders from Plateau State to reflect on their roles in the recurring violence in the state, warning that sustainable peace will remain elusive unless leadership accountability is taken seriously.

“If people are being recruited to provoke anger, conflict and killings, it is you, the leaders, that should first of all examine yourselves,” the President said on Tuesday at the State House, Abuja, during an interactive session with a 32-man delegation from Plateau State.

Tinubu urged the stakeholders to return home with a renewed commitment to peace, stressing the need to confront the root causes of the state’s long-standing crises, including ethnicity, religion, indigene-settler tensions, and farmer-herder clashes.

“No protocols, no hindrances. We are here to speak our minds and find a permanent solution to a recurring conflict and chaos,” he said. “Let us accept one resolution – tolerance for every inhabitant.”

The meeting, which lasted about three hours, was convened following recent violence in Angwa Rukuba, Jos North Local Government Area, and brought together key political, traditional, and religious leaders, including Governor Caleb Mutfwang, former governors, lawmakers, security figures, and youth representatives.

President Tinubu challenged the delegation to revisit previous government White Papers on security crises in the state and come up with actionable recommendations for implementation. He also urged the governor to identify and expose those he described as “agent provocateurs” to face the full weight of the law.

Speaker after speaker at the meeting acknowledged the underlying tensions fueling unrest in the state and pledged renewed commitment to peace and unity across religious and ethnic divides.

Announcing a humanitarian intervention, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Mohammed Dorro, disclosed that the Federal Government had approved ₦2 billion in relief support for victims of the March 29 attack in Angwa Rukuba.

Governor Mutfwang, in his remarks, described the meeting as a turning point in peace efforts, noting that it was the first time all former governors of the state had met in such a forum. He pledged the commitment of Plateau leaders to work collectively toward lasting peace and socio-economic recovery.