Senate Blames Military Over Plateau Massacre,  Summons Chief Of Defence Staff

By Akinwale Kasali

The Senate has faulted the failure of Military Intelligence over the Plateau State Massacre of the people of Magu, Bokkos and Bakin Ladi in the North and Central parts of the State.

Over 190 persons were gruesomely murdered on Christmas eve, following attacks by Terrorists.

This has prompted the Senate to summon the Chief of Defence  Staff, General Christopher Musa, the Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.

Others who were summoned are the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, the Director General of the Department of State Services, Yusuf Bichi, as well as the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

The Senate said it was necessary for the Security Chiefs to provide an explanation for the military lapses.

The Senate said it considered the killings in Plateau a national tragedy and blamed it on the failure of security intelligence.

Senator Diket Plang representing Plateau Central Senatorial District on Saturday during plenary lamented the incessant attacks by criminals in Plateau State, raising the need for a National security summit.

In his presentation, Senator Plang who described the incident as a well-coordinated attack, said that the impact of climate change and the growing business of illegal mining have combined to escalate tensions in the area even as he asked the senate to prevail on the military to always deploy its intelligence to forestall this kind of acts.

The Senatorscalled on President  Bola Tinubu to urgently act to halt the incessant  Killings and security challenges in the country.

It urged the IGP, Dr Egbetokun, to complete the Mopol Barracks situated in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, just as it urged the Nigerian Military to deploy intelligence and aerial in the affected Local Government Areas of Plateau State and its environs.

In the same vein, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, representing Edo North Senatorial District under the All Progressives Congress, APC, called for a need to give an adequate explanation of the inadequate intelligence, asserting that Nigerians are angry with them, hence the need to invite the security chiefs to brief the Senate on the exact situation in a closed session.

Contributing, Senator Abdul Ningi, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District described the massacre in Plateau as unprecedented, revealing that even when there were rumours of the attack, those who were to act completely failed to do anything about it, opening the floodgate of calls for the Security Chiefs to be thoroughly grilled on the matter.