Buhari Expected in Jos Tuesday to Assess Level of Security

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

President Muhammadu Buhari is expected in Jos Tuesday to assess the level of security following the recent killings in parts of Plateau State.

A Presidency source said the president is expected in Jos by 12 noon.

His coming follows a town hall meeting of critical stakeholders with Vice-President Yemi Osibanjo in Jos Monday night. It is however not known what Osinbajo discussed with Buhari that will necessitate the president’s impromptu visit.

Buhari was in Jos on March 8, 2018 to commission some projects, when several killings were recorded in Bassa and Bokkos Local Government Areas of the state during the visit.

Buhari’s coming this time around is expected to provide answers to critical questions on his care for the Christian minority tribes in the Northern region and his inability to call his kinsmen, the Fulani herdsmen, to order.

During the visit, he is expected to direct the installation of a special military operation base in Mahanga, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, one of the suspected strongholds of the Fulani militia in the state.

Buhari might also be faced with the question of the legality of violent retaliation over the killing of cows as recently claimed by the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, as against following judicial procedure in the face of crime.

He might also be challenged on the possession of illegal arms by the Fulani herdsmen as well as the recently reported excesses by the military against the native communities in the state.

If Buhari’s coming does not result in a permanent end to the attacks, it might be hard to stop the already popular insinuations that he was on a mission to deliver Nigeria especially the Middle Belt region to Islamic jihadists.

Meanwhile, the death toll in Dorowa Babuje in Mangu Local Government Area, where the herdsmen attacked on Monday afternoon while the vice-president was on his visit in Jos has risen to 15 on Tuesday morning.

Residents said more bodies of victims were recovered from the bush in the early hours of Tuesday.

In the same vein, Plateau women are planning a peaceful demonstration to express displeasure over the gruesome killings.