National chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda has advocated the deployment of modern surveillance and intelligence-driven technology, including Artificial Intelligence-powered cameras, drones, advanced tracking systems and real-time intelligence gathering mechanisms, to detect, monitor and neutralize criminal elements in the country before they strike.
He said that the present era of sophisticated criminality demands smarter, faster and more sophisticated security responses and that the protection of lives and property must be driven not only by manpower, but also by technology, intelligence, precision and accountability.
The APC chairman, who along with the Governor of Plateau State, Barrister Caleb Mutfwang, received President Bola Tinubu in Jos, the state capital, condemned the
killings of innocent residents of Angwan Rukuba in Jos North Local Government Area in the strongest and most unequivocal terms.
Professor Nentawe Yilwatda described the attack as inhuman, cowardly, reprehensible and a direct assault on the peace, unity and soul of Plateau State.
According to him, the continued shedding of innocent blood in Plateau is not only unacceptable but a national tragedy that must no longer be treated with routine outrage and temporary responses.
In a Statement signed by Abimbola Tooki, Special Adviser to the National Chairman on Media and Communications stategy, Yilwatda stressed that the time has come for deliberate, coordinated, and result-oriented efforts by all relevant authorities and stakeholders to ensure that such dastardly and unconscionable acts never happen again in Plateau State or anywhere else in the country.
Professor Yilwatda called on leaders of communities across Plateau State to become more vigilant, responsive, and proactive in identifying and reporting suspicious movements and security threats within their domains.
He noted that the recurring pattern of killings strongly suggests that many of those behind these heinous acts are not ghosts or invisible invaders, but criminal elements and miscreants living within or around the communities, exploiting local vulnerabilities to unleash mayhem on innocent citizens.
He said that these evil perpetrators must no longer be shielded by silence, fear, complicity, or communal indifference. He insisted that they must be identified, exposed, apprehended, and made to face the full wrath of the law.
The APC National Chairman charged security agencies to urgently rethink and upgrade their security architecture and operational methods in tackling the persistent violence in Plateau State.
He emphasized that the security agencies cannot continue to deploy outdated tactics against increasingly adaptive and ruthless criminal networks and expect a different outcome.
He said that Plateau cannot continue to mourn in cycles, while the enemies of peace roam freely and repeatedly unleash terror on innocent citizens.
Professor Yilwatda also drew attention to the grave economic implications of insecurity in Plateau State, lamenting that the state, which is richly blessed with breathtaking natural landscapes, vibrant tourism assets, and enormous economic potential, has continued to suffer avoidable setbacks due to persistent violence.
He noted that Plateau has long been celebrated as a peaceful and attractive destination with some of Nigeria’s most vibrant tourism centres, cultural attractions, and agricultural potential, but all of these opportunities remain vulnerable and stunted in the face of recurring attacks.
According to him, no economy can thrive where fear reigns, no investment can flourish where blood is spilled, and no society can truly prosper where innocent citizens live under the shadow of insecurity.
He warned that without adequate protection of lives and communities, the social and economic future of the state could be severely paralysed, thereby depriving the people, especially young people, of prosperity, stability, and hope.
Professor Yilwatda therefore called for a whole-of-society approach to ending the violence in Plateau, urging traditional institutions, religious leaders, political actors, youth groups, women’s groups, security operatives, and community stakeholders to work together in honesty and patriotism to restore peace and stability.
During the visit, other leaders from across Plateau State also spoke passionately on the disturbing security situation in the state and the urgent need for decisive and sustained intervention to halt the bloodshed and restore confidence among the people.
As part of the visit, President Tinubu, accompanied by Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, Governor Caleb Mutfwang, former leaders, and other key stakeholders, paid a visit to the families of the affected victims of the Angwan Rukuba attack. The visit to the bereaved families was a moving moment of compassion and national mourning, as the President shared in their pain and offered words of comfort, reassurance and solidarity in the face of unimaginable loss.
