By Nkechi Eze
The General Officer Commanding 3 Division Nigerian Army and Commander Operation SAFE HAVEN (OPSH), Major General Folusho Oyinlola, has assured that concrete efforts are ongoing to apprehend the recent attackers in Bokkos and Bassa Local Government Areas of Plateau State.
This assurance was made during a stakeholders’ engagement organized towards de-escalating tension and preventing further attacks in the State, held at Maxwell Khobe Cantonment Jos on April 17, 2025.
A signed statement made available to newsmen by the Media Information Officer Operation Safe Haven, Major Samson Nantip Zhakom disclosed that he Commander described the engagement as a call for deep action and restoration of peace, emphasizing that no provocation could justify the murder of innocent lives and destruction of property. General Oyinlola added that operational strategies are being reviewed to address the recent unrest and hunt down perpetrators of the dastardly acts, including their collaborators.
The Senior Special Adviser on Community Engagement (North-Central) to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Mrs. Abiodun Essiet, expressed the Federal Government’s sadness over the recent loss of lives in some LGAs of the State. She attributed the causes of the crisis to multidimensional factors that must be addressed collaboratively with critical stakeholders.
Mrs. Essiet thanked the Commander for organizing the event and emphasized that non-kinetic mechanisms would be strengthened to tackle salient issues that could bring peace to the State.
Stakeholders at the event charged security agencies to fish out those responsible for the attacks in both Bokkos and Bassa LGAs. They urged the State government and OPSH to deploy their machinery to combat the security situation and save the people from further loss. The stakeholders also decried the increasing proliferation of arms and called on the appropriate authorities to ensure the mop-up of these arms in the hands of non-state actors.
The Executive Governor of Plateau State, Barrister Caleb Mutfwang, represented by his Senior Special Adviser on Community Engagement, assured that the Government is working round the clock to prevent any further attacks against the people. He urged the people to eschew bitterness, be objective, and work together to fight the menace. The Governor encouraged security agencies to redouble efforts in curtailing security threats that might emanate from communities.
The stakeholders’ engagement, which involved seven local government areas, had in attendance traditional leaders, religious leaders, community leaders, youth representatives, women leaders, and government functionaries. The event aimed to foster collaboration and collective action towards restoring peace and stability in Plateau State.
