Another Three Killed as Plateau Promises Violence-free Council Polls

Governor Jonah Jang

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos


Frequent killings may have returned to Plateau State as a man and his two sons were on Tuesday night, feared killed in Gyel village in Jos South Local Government Area of the State.

The killing occurred on the heels of a reassurance by the state government to indigenes of a violence-free council polls slated for December 7.

Addressing journalists in his office, state Commissioner for Information, Pastor Abraham Yiljap, said: “The state government is committed towards free, fair, credible and violence-free elections in December,” adding that so many factors had been considered, and security agencies and independent teams had assessed the state and submitted that it was safe to go to the polls.

He added that no local government would be left out in the exercise.

“It will be all inclusive,” he promised.

Yiljap said: “The good works that the state governor, Jonah Jang, was doing at the state level, especially the massive infrastructural development being witnessed, should be replicated at the various councils, hence the need for democratically-elected leaders at that level."

He said government was not going to interfere whatsoever with the conduct of the election, adding that a lot had been done to reposition the state Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) to be able to deliver credible elections.

The commissioner stated that the commission was under duty to give the people credible elections.

He advised that in the event of any grievance or dissatisfaction with the process, the people should not take the law into their hands, but to seek justice in the law court.

On the recent resurgence of violent attacks in some communities in the state, Yiljap said: “Just last night (Tuesday night), a man and his two children were killed, and his wife injured and now recuperating in the hospital.”

He, however, said: “These are isolated criminal cases being dealt with; seven have been arrested so far, and security agencies are on the trail of the other criminals.”

Appealing to citizens not to panic, Yiljap advised them to increase their level of alertness, assuring them that: “We are not going back to those old days; government is determined to execute justice on those arrested.”