Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, on Wednesday, convened a meeting of the State Security Council to assess the security situation in the state, as the police confirmed the arrest of suspects linked to some of the recent deadly attacks.
The meeting, which took place at the New Government House, Little Rayfield, Jos, followed a series of attacks reported in several communities across the state.
The council discussed emerging security threats, recent attacks, intelligence collection and sharing, preventive operations, cooperation among security agencies and measures to protect lives, property and economic activities throughout the state.
Speaking after the meeting, the Commissioner of Police, Plateau State Command, CP Ayodeji Faniyan, revealed that security operatives had arrested suspects in connection with some of the major attacks recorded in the state over the past month.
He stated that investigations were still underway to establish the identities of other suspects believed to be connected with the attacks and bring them to justice.
Faniyan explained that the governor called the meeting as part of his ongoing review of the state’s security situation and commitment to ensuring that Plateau remained peaceful and secure for residents, investors and visitors.
He said Governor Mutfwang, as the Chief Security Officer of the state, was worried about the recent security breaches and had instructed security agencies to adopt stronger proactive measures to prevent similar incidents.
He said: “Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang is the Chief Security Officer of the State, and once in a while, we review the security situation. We assess the security situation in order to take steps to improve on what we already have.
“The Mangu case was very unfortunate. We prepared and deployed, but somehow, such incidents still occurred. That is part of why His Excellency called this meeting so that such incidents must not happen again, “ he said.
According to the police commissioner, security agencies were working together at the state and national levels, while technology was being used to analyse intelligence and trace individuals suspected of involvement in the attacks.
“We have some arrests; investigation is ongoing. We are not investigating in isolation. We are collaborating with all the other agencies up to the national level. We are still going after some suspects, and we are doing a lot of technological analysis,” he said.
Faniyan assured residents that security agencies had been directed by the governor to step up efforts to protect lives and property while curbing criminal activities across the state.
He urged residents to assist security agencies by providing credible and timely information about suspicious individuals, movements and activities, noting that effective security largely depended on cooperation between security personnel and members of the public.
According to him, the Security Council meeting was aimed at improving intelligence-driven and preventive security measures that would enable authorities to detect and neutralise threats before they occurred.
He said the Mutfwang administration remained committed to strengthening peace and security as the basis for promoting investment, tourism, agriculture, commerce and other economic activities across Plateau State.
