VIDEO: Plateau governor apologises to grieving community over massacre

Following a brutal attack that claimed 51 lives in Zikke, Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, Governor Caleb Mutfwang has publicly apologised for the government’s inability to protect its citizens.

Speaking on Tuesday, April 15, at the palace of the Paramount Ruler of the Miango community, the governor admitted that despite efforts to bolster security, the system failed.

“I will tell you the truth: I have been crying since yesterday because I had trusted God that all the arrangements were put in place, that this will not happen again,” Mutfwang said with visible emotion.

“But like all human arrangements, sometimes they fail. I want to admit that on Sunday night into Monday morning, we failed you. Please, forgive me.”

The attack on Zikke occurred just two weeks after a similar incident in Bokkos LGA, where dozens were also killed. Homes were burned, and many residents have since been displaced.

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Accompanied by top security officials and members of the state executive council, the governor visited grieving families and offered condolences.

He urged communities to remain vigilant and work closely with security operatives by providing critical intelligence.

“We need your support. Help us by exposing these criminals. Let’s not leave everything to the government alone,” he appealed.

Governor Mutfwang described the killings as part of a “sponsored and genocidal” campaign, noting that over 64 communities in the state have been overtaken by gunmen.

The Paramount Ruler of Irigwe land, Ronku Aka, urged the government to improve security and provide essential amenities for affected communities.

In response to the recent wave of violence, President Bola Tinubu has directed security agencies to hunt down those responsible. He described the attacks as "utterly condemnable" and called for swift justice.

Plateau State, long plagued by ethno-religious tensions and clashes often linked to land disputes between farmers and herders, is now seeing a resurgence of violence that threatens to spiral further.