Suspend protests, Gov. Mutfwang urges Plateau youths
Gov. Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau has urged youths in Plateau to suspend the #EndbadgovernanceProtest.
Mutfwang, who made the call in a state broadcast, advised the youths to embrace dialogue.
”I assure you, I have heard you clearly, and we are in this together. I therefore appeal to you to stay for further protests so we can dialogue with your leaders to add value to our thinking and plans for poverty alleviation since we do not possess a monopoly of wisdom.
”As soon as the protests are over, we shall meet with the leaders of the youth groups across the state for further dialogue.
”My dear brothers and sisters, the more we continue with the protests, the greater the likelihood of being hijacked by sponsored criminals and hoodlums, like we began to notice on Sunday evening.
”The intelligence report at our disposal reveals that the lawful protests have been infiltrated by criminals who were waiting for an opportunity to loot shops, attack, and rob innocent citizens of their hard-earned belongings, he said.
The governor, who advanced reasons for imposing a 24-hour curfew, said that hoodlums had hijacked the protests and began to loot public and private assets.
”We saw the display of foreign flags by some of these criminally minded intruders, so as a responsible government, we had to take proactive steps to prevent further acts of criminality.
”Thus, the 24-hour curfew we imposed on Jos-Bukuru metropolis from midnight Sunday.
”The resistance by hoodlums in some parts of the Jos north area from Monday morning till late afternoon proves that our action of imposing the curfew is justified.
”Credible sources have revealed that because of the peace that Plateau is enjoying, merchants of violence invited hoodlums from neighbouring states to disrupt the peace in Jos, he said.
Mutfwang also called on the citizens to be patient, insisting that his administration had put modalities in place to address the current challenges in the state.
He said that his government had so far supported farmers with fertiliser and other farming inputs, trained 370 youths on modern farming, and supported women with funds, among other critical interventions aimed at alleviating the suffering of the masses.
