Plateau massacre: Senate identifies failure of intelligence

***Summons security, defence chiefs for questioning

The Senate has indicated that the massacre of scores of Nigerians in Plateau on the eve of Christmas was due to failing of intelligence.

The upper legislative chamber expressed disappointment that, security of lives and property, which is the most important constitutional responsibility of government, is suffering serious threats.

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, disclosed at a special session on Saturday that because of the very co-ordinated nature of the killings,  it is clear that intelligence failed.

During a brief debate on the killings, Senators took turn to lament the helplessness from security agencies before and during the killings.

Accordingly, the Senate has summoned heads of key security agencies including the Chiefs of Army and Air Staffs, the Chief of Defence Staff, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Director General of the Department of Security Services,  (DSS), Inspector of Police, the Director general of the Nigeria Intelligence Agency  (NIA).

Contributing to a motion sponsored by  Senator Diiket  Plang (APC, Plateau Central), it was revealed that the killings were so strategically planned that weapons were kept in the affected villages long before the day of the attack.

Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Plateau State) disclosed that his findings revealed that those who carried out the killings did so in collaboration with locals.

He expressed shock that prior information on the attack was ignored.

Ningi who is also the chairman of Northern Senators Forum, informed his colleagues that his visit to and findings in Plateau State showed lack of synergy among security agencies.

Ningi said: “I was in Bauchi for the Chrismas holiday when the news broke out and instantly on behalf of the Northern Senators Forum I moved into Plateau, had two sessions with the Governor of Plateau State before paying a courtesy call on some members of the forum as to the gravity of what happened in Bokkos.
“What happened in Bokkos is unprecedented, when you have a catchment of Bandits over 400 of them moving at a go and when I sat with the governor the stories I heard were mind bugging.
“First there was a rumor of this attack, secondly the governor tried to make this information available but they did not take him seriously.
“I was in Jos University Teaching Hospital and I could see 18months old baby with bullet wounds. This is unprecedented. “Until we see the importance of security in this country we will never move forward. We need to urgently call the security agents to order as there is no synergy among them.
“As we speak Plateau State government is in dire need because right now they are settling more than 150, 000 IDPs, they are feeding them.
“The entire security architecture of the State failed. What we have discovered is that these marauding bandits did not come with weapons, those weapons were actually domiciled in certain locations, all they did was to come and pick them.
“That means there is something behind what is happening in plateau. Who are these people and where are they doing it because if you go there from the outside you will think it is a religious war, no. There is something behind it that this Senate need to unravel.
“It is a very terrible phenomenon. We have forgotten our minds, the carnage you see in a small village, with small differences people will kill fellow human beings in their dozens and it does not prick their conscience.
“What I have also discovered after spending 72hours, the little information about those bandits, they are not living around the communities. Somebody imported them. Somebody escorted them. “They don’t even know the terrain, they were led by some people who know the terrain. And when you look at the communities, the Christain and Muslims are interwoven.
“Their communities are intermixed. In a boundary like this we have Christains and Muslims. What happened on the Christmas Eve is something that needs to be investigated by security agencies and it should not be rhetoric. Anybody who is assigned responsibility as a security chief and he can not deliver he must be sent out.”
Former governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, rejected the argument that difficult terrain and distance made swift intervention impossible.

Lalong said: “Yes I will not say I will not start with Palteau, I will say it is something that is entirely on the Northern States.
“By virtue of the privilege to be the chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, for four years, when there were similar things all over the country but with particular reference to Plateau I had the report from the military this morning.
“I must say that I was disappointed because part of it was that, they couldn’t deal with the situation in Mangu and Bokkos because of proximity and also the terrain.
“I ask the question for a military there is nothing like terrain or distance. In plateau state because of crises we have proliferation of outfits, we have operation save heaven, all by the state government, we have operation Rainbow funded by the State Government, that is increase in the capacity.

“Where was the Airforce, where were Helicopters? Today we discourse about Tucano, we discourse about drones, drones are available. My spirit is that we must first of all deal with the criminals before we come back to deal with the internal situation.
“Like every society we have religious conflicts and differences. We have ethnic conflicts and differences but when a dimension like this comes into effect it calls for the attention of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria because the killings that were done were carried out in systematic manner but as we move in I don’t think that the role of the military is always to employ Kinetic.
“We discussed and concluded that as much as they go into Kinetic they must also dwell on non Kinetic measures in settling disputes in this situation.
“This information is not the first, this attack is not the first, always on Christmas Eve. So as we move into this kind of thing I want to support the bill that could not sail through last time, we are still bringing it back again.
“The role of traditional rulers in security. Let us give them constitutional roles and we always talk about state police when we have traditional rulers that can always produce solution to this kind of thing.
The law failed last tome, I will represent the bill and with the help of the senate.”
The Senate therefore resolved to send a high powered delegation to Plateau State to condole with the government and the good people of the State and also visit the victims

It urged the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and NEMA to direct its agencies to provide relief materials to the victims of the crises with immediate effect to enable them relocate back to their homes and decongest the IDP camp.

The upper legislative chamber urged the IGP to establish a mopol Barack situated at Barkin Ladi LGA of Plateau State and also the Chief of Defense Staff to establish a mobile military in Magu LGA which is a border point and an entry root for the criminals to commit crime and escape freely
The senate also urged the Nigerian Military to deploy intelligence and Aerial surveillance in the affected Local Governments of Plateau State and its environs
It also urged the minister of Solid Mineral Development to immediately take action in putting a check on illegal miners and minning activities in the country especialky in the affected regions

It urged the Palteau State Government to strenghen the environmental minning laws to check the excesses of illegal miners in the State
The senate demanded that the plateau State Government must upscale dialogue between traditional rulers and religious leaders especially in the affected crises areas using non Kinetic solutions to finding solution to the crises.

It urged the State to issue such other directives as may be expedient in the circumstance to ensure compliance with this resolusion.