President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday held a closed-door meeting with Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, as concerns deepen over renewed violence in the North-Central state.
The engagement came three days after a deadly Palm Sunday attack in the Angwan Rukuba area of Jos, where at least 28 people were killed in a night assault that has heightened tensions across the region.
According to the State House media office, Governor Mutfwang arrived at the Villa at about 6:45 p.m.
The meeting followed an earlier directive by the President, who had summoned the governor for urgent consultations on the deteriorating security situation in Plateau State.
In his initial reaction to the killings, President Tinubu described the нападение as “barbaric,” assuring Nigerians that those responsible would be brought to justice.
Speaking through his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, the President also condemned a separate attack in Kahir village in Kaduna State’s Kagarko Local Government Area, where several wedding guests were reportedly killed or abducted.
“Anyone who will sneak under the cover of the night and kill defenceless citizens as done in Jos and Kahir village is a heartless coward,” Tinubu had said on Monday.
While denouncing the attacks, the President commended Governor Mutfwang for his response efforts so far, particularly in managing the crisis and preventing further escalation.
He also directed security agencies to intensify operations aimed at tracking down and apprehending those behind the violence.
Tinubu further warned against narratives suggesting that the attacks were driven by religious motives, cautioning that such claims could inflame tensions and worsen the fragile security situation.
The Wednesday meeting, sources indicated, is expected to shape immediate strategies to curb further attacks and restore calm in affected communities.
Meanwhile, the President is scheduled to visit Jos, the Plateau State capital, on Thursday in a show of solidarity with victims and residents.
Originally, Tinubu had planned to travel to Iperu in Ogun State to inaugurate operations at the Gateway International Cargo Airport.
However, the trip has now been postponed.
Confirming the change in plans, Onanuga said: “President Bola Tinubu today postponed his scheduled trip to Iperu, Ogun State, tomorrow to flag off operations at the Gateway International Cargo Airport.
“Instead, he will head to Jos, capital of Plateau State, to commiserate with the government and people of the state over the recent gun attacks, which claimed the lives of innocent citizens.”
