Buhari says Plateau killings are not religious as the number of deaths in Zamfara are higher

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has said that the recent killings in Plateau State should not been seen as religious but criminal because the murders in wholly-Muslim Zamfara State were more in number.

Last Sunday, armed Fulani cattle herdsmen attacked the villages of Razat, Ruku, Nyarr, Kura and Gana-Ropp in Gashish District in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, hacking 86 innocent people to death. Some reports indicate that the number of deaths could be as high as 200 and several emergency meetings have been called to address the matter, with the president meeting with National Assembly leaders this morning.

Speaking on the crisis, President Buhari said the killings in Zamfara State were more than the number of deaths recorded in Plateau and Benue States put together. Making the point after a closed-door meeting with government officials, security agencies and traditional leaders in Plateau State, the president  commiserated with those who lost their loved ones and stressed that anyone found with a weapon must be arrested and prosecuted.

He added: “It is my responsibility to protect the lives and properties of every Nigerian and I cannot run away from it.” President Buhari also appealed to the people of Plateau State to bury their differences and work together for the peace of the state, condemning the crisis and urging the leadership at every level to be awake to their responsibility of driving the peace process.

Governor Simon Lalong added: "This current attack, Your Excellency Mr President, is very disturbing and alarming because it has left behind in its ugly trail the painful loss of over 200 people, besides the humanitarian challenge confronting thousands of displaced persons whose houses and crops have been burnt and completely destroyed. Mr President, your government has made it clear and you have eloquently stated that you will continue to protect and preserve the sanctity of life.

"Agents of destabilisation are, however, hell bent on making nonsense of the success you have achieved in dealing with internal security threats to our corporate existence as a nation. Our state is a beneficiary of the several measures put in place as on your instruction, the Nigeria Police Force has established a new mobile police squadron in the southern zone of the state and the Nigeria Air Force has also established a Rescue Search and Combat Command at Kerang in the central senatorial district of Plateau State all in bid to activate crises response time of the security."

He pointed out that while they are looking forward to the security gains that will emanate from this established security bases, Plateau State has again been confronted with renewed attacks which have left it with a man-made humanitarian crises. He added that this is as a result of the condemnable and reprehensible conducts of the haters of peace and humanity.