Northern Elites Responsible For Plateau, Benue Killings To Scuttle Tinubu’s 2027 Bid

By Ayodele Oni

“They used this tactics against Jonathan in 2015, now they are using it against Tinubu with a focus on 2027”

A former member of the Niger State Executive Council, Jonathan Vatsa, has claimed that some “political merchants,” are behind the killings in Plateau and Benue.

He was of the view that the ongoing killings in Plateau and Benue are politically motivated to undermine President Bola Tinubu’s administration ahead of the 2027 elections.

Vatsa, who spoke with journalists at his Minna residence, pointed out that the violence mirrors same tactics used against former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.

“The same people are back on the drawing board again. They are a Group of Northern Elites with sense of entitlement to free access to national treasury and whenever they desperately want to grab power back to the north for their selfish reason, then this killings for no reason will escalate.

“The killings in Plateau and Benue are all part of the game plan; it is all about 2027. The government should know this by now.”

Vatsa accused “political merchants” of sponsoring terror to make Tinubu unpopular, alleging that they funded Boko Haram and the Chibok kidnapping to destabilise Jonathan’s government.

He expressed confidence that the President’s re-election is secure, citing Niger State’s support for Governor Bago’s agenda, but insisted the government must confront known perpetrators who evade justice.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has announced that the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, will be visiting Plateau State Monday.

According to Yilwatda, the visit of the vice president is because of a wave of attacks and killings by gunmen in Bokkos and Bassa communities, which had claimed many lives in the past two weeks.

The minister disclosed this during a visit by the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, to the affected communities in Bassa, at the weekend.

However, the Defence Minister, who was accompanied by the General Officer Commanding 3 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Folusho Oyinlola and other Security Chiefs assured the people of the government’s commitment to ending the killings.

He emphasised that the government would take decisive action to address the security challenges in the state.

In a related vein, the Plateau Youth Council (PYC), Northern Zone, has raised concerns over the wave of violent attacks on rural communities in Bassa and Riyom local councils, which coincide with the start of the wet farming season.

The PYC Northern Zone Coordinator, Samson Chiroma, while addressing journalists in Jos, described the attacks as “acts of genocide” rather than communal clashes.

Chiroma called on the Plateau State Government to strengthen Operation Rainbow, a local security outfit, by recruiting more personnel and equipping them with modern tools.