Jos attack: ‘It was to address the crowd’ — Mutfwang defends use of armoured vehicle

Plateau State governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has explained that security considerations and the need to effectively address a tense crowd informed his decision to speak from an armoured personnel carrier following the Palm Sunday attack in Jos.

Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, the governor said the elevated position allowed him to communicate clearly with residents during a volatile situation, dismissing claims that he was under threat.

He maintained that his interaction with the crowd was largely peaceful, noting that residents welcomed his presence and assured him of his safety.

“From the height I stood, part of the reason they put me in the ATC was for me to gain height in order to address the crowd,” he explained.

“As I addressed the crowd and they were comfortable that I had arrived, that’s why they were saying, ‘come, come,’ assuring me that I could come and that there was no harm.

“Therefore, it was easy for the security personnel to accept my insistence on moving into the crowd.”

Mutfwang also criticised what he described as misleading social media narratives, saying clips shared online failed to reflect the full extent of his engagement, including efforts to calm residents and assess the situation.

The governor revealed that he was in Abuja attending official engagements when news of the attack broke, adding that he immediately arranged to return to Plateau State.

According to him, he rushed to the scene after learning that residents had insisted on seeing him before allowing the evacuation of victims.

He said, “If not for mischief, why are people not focusing on where I spent 90 per cent of the time with the crowd, seeing the corpses, appealing to people, calming people?.

“You could see that social media can take a small portion and misrepresent it completely.

“I was in Abuja, you remember, at the back of the APC National Convention, and then I had a very high-level security consultation on Sunday evening with some of the top security chiefs.

“We were discussing some of the things we need to do going forward when the news filtered that this had happened.

“As early as 7 a.m., the presidential air fleet released a plane for me to return home. I wanted to drive straight to the scene because the crowd had said unless they see the governor, they are not going to allow those corpses to be evacuated,” he stated.

Mutfwang reaffirmed his commitment to the people of Plateau, thanking them for their trust and pledging continued leadership in difficult times.

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