A minority rights activist and public affairs analyst, Steven Kefas, has expressed disappointment in President Bola Tinubu’s failure to address the Plateau massacre on New Year’s Day.
The analyst stressed that the president’s failure to talk about the killings in his speech reflects how lightly their plight is to the presidency.
He said that he spoke with someone in Bokkos, one of the villages where the massacre took place to know how they felt.
The indigene expressed shock that the president failed to include the massacre in his speech, opining that the incident was not worth being mentioned by the president, according to Peoples Gazette.
Kefas said, “In fact, to say I’m disappointed is an understatement because this is an incident that has been on the front burner in the last one week both within and outside the country. And our own president decided not to talk about it. It doesn’t make sense to me.”
“I spoke with somebody who is currently in Bokkos, of course, they are in a remote area they don’t have access to the media. He said they were shocked to hear that the president didn’t talk about it. And that’s their feeling there generally. It shows that their plight is not worth mentioning by the president.”
Recall that herdsmen had stormed some villages such as Ndun, Ngyong, Murfet, Makundary, Tamiso, Chiang, Tahore, Gawarba, Dares, Meyenga, Darwat, and Butura Kampani in the Barkin Ladi, Mangu and Bokkos areas of the state, burning houses and shooting residents on Christmas Eve.
President Tinubu had issued a statement condemning the incident and ordering provision of relief material for the victims 48 hours after the incident.
Meanwhile, President Tinubu, in his speech on New Year’s Day maintained that Nigeria’s security has improved since he assumed office.
He said, “Since our administration took over the mantle of office, security has improved. Silently, we have worked to free captives from abductors.
“While we can’t beat our chest yet that we have solved all the security problems, we are working hard to ensure that we all have peace of mind in our homes, places of work, and on the roads.“