I’ll deploy hunters, vigilantes to tackle killings, says Plateau gov-elect
Ahead of his inauguration on May 29, 2023, Plateau State Governor-elect, Barr Caleb Mutfwang, has promised to incorporate local hunters and vigilante organisations to tackle the spate of killings across the state.
Addressing newsmen after a farewell visit to the outgoing British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, Mutfwang promised to improve the bonds of unity on the Plateau.
He also said the relationship between herders and indigenes would be greatly improved as a panacea for peace and unity among residents of the state.
The governor-elect said the farmer-herder crisis gets blown out of context for different reasons, promising he was ready to bring about peace in the state.
He said: “Again, from now on, we’re going to make sure that the people take ownership of the security processes or architecture by making sure that from the grassroots, we build structures for peace, right from the grassroots between communities amongst communities, and make sure that they themselves begin to trust and gradually all the potential areas of conflict will be eliminated.
“Of course, if you’re asking for specifics of the kinds of deployments we’ll make, we’ll make sure that the vigilantes and the hunters and all the security architecture on ground today are effectively mobilized and mainstreamed into the security architecture,” he said.
Speaking earlier, Dr Para-Mallam disclosed that a number of peace interventions had been made in some states as a result of the partnership between the Peace Foundation and the British High Commission, since July 2019.
In her response, Laing expressed her appreciation at the commitment by stakeholders in the pursuit of peace, adding that the composition of the delegation to say good bye to her suggests hope for stronger peace building initiatives and reconciliation in the years ahead in Plateau State and Nigeria as a whole