Killings : Tinubu approves 1,000 forest guards, 5,000 CCTV cameras for Plateau

The Plateau State Government has secured President Tinubu’s approval to recruit 1,000 forest guards as part of efforts to strengthen security across the state.

This was disclosed on Thursday by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Sunday Dare, in a terse post shared via his verified X handle.

He noted that the announcement was made by Governor Caleb Mutfwang in Jos, where he also expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for his visit and for approving the recruitment initiative.

Meanwhile, Tinubu has ordered the installation of over 5,000 Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras in Plateau State following the recent killings in Jos.

Tinubu gave the directive during a town hall meeting with political and traditional leaders in Jos, days after the Palm Sunday attack in Angwan Rukuba, which left over 27 people dead,

“The Honourable Minister for Communication is here to give you assurance that we are going to install immediately a network of cameras that will help the law enforcement agencies to identify the troublemakers instantly, over 5,000 of that,” Tinubu stated as he invited the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, to explain the plan.

The President, who said no amount of money could compensate victims for their losses, directed security agencies to go after perpetrators of the crime.

“I thank the men and women of the armed forces, particularly the police, for what they are doing and what they are about to do.

“You must unearth and find the killers. I’m glad IGP is here. I’m glad the Chief of Defence Staff is here too. I’m glad the Minister of Defence is here,” the President stated.

The President announced plans to set up a committee to assess losses suffered by victims and recommend compensation.

“Immediately we return to Abuja, the committee, as mentioned, will include the governor and the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs. Come see me. Take numeric analysis. You are a data person for the victims.

“Let’s see what we can do for their losses. We cannot replace human beings, but whatever we can do to give them minimum comfort, we will,” Tinubu said.

Tinubu arrived in Jos on Thursday evening for what was described as a short but significant visit, during which he engaged with religious, political and community leaders.

During the visit, the President also met with about 15 victims of the Agwan Rukuba attack, including Madame Rhoda Favor Ayuba, who lost her son in the incident.

It would be recalled that Jos was recently rocked by violence following an attack by gunmen on Agwan Rukuba, which resulted in multiple deaths and triggered reprisal killings in the area.