Plateau massacre, one tragedy too many demanding action — Sen. Natasha

Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan Natasha (PDP-Kogi), the lawmaker representing Kogi Central senatorial district, has expressed sadness over the latest round of violence and killings in Plateau.

In a statement issued on Tuesday in Lokoja by her media adviser, Orogbonlo Israel, the senator described the killings as "one tragedy too many.”.

The Plateau Police Command confirmed on Tuesday that 96 people were killed while 221 houses were set ablaze on Christmas Eve by gunmen in the state.

But the state governor, Caleb Mutfwang, said Tuesday on television that the death toll in the latest coordinated attacks on Plateau had risen to over 115.

Worried by the senseless and wanton killings, Natasha condemned them in total and called on the federal government and security operatives to rise to the occasion to stop a repeat of the act.

Natasha said, “I know this is a difficult moment to celebrate Christmas, knowing that people are being killed for no just cause.

“I hereby call for the immediate arrest and prosecution of perpetrators of the dastardly acts in Plateau.

“The federal government must rise to the occasion and put measures in place to mitigate a recurrence of such a dastardly act.”

She, however, sympathised with the victims—the government and people of Plateau—over the irreparable loss of precious lives and destruction of properties.