Bad roads prevented us to quickly respond to Plateau massacre distress call— Nigerian Defence Headquarters

The Defence Headquarters has attributed the delayed response from troops during the attacks in Bokkos and Biriki-Ladi Local Government Areas of Plateau State to the terrain and other factors.

The PUNCH reports that the attacks that occurred on Sunday have led to the deaths of 150 people, and over 10,000 have been displaced.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Tuesday, the governor of the state, Caleb Mutfwang, noted that the response to the attacks could have been better.

Muftwang said, “I wouldn’t want to throw the baby out with the bath water. Certainly, the response time can be better. There were distress calls sent out. Some of the responses would have been delayed for various reasons, including the nature of our terrain.”

Similarly, Amnesty International also called on the authorities on Tuesday to investigate the inability of the security agencies to curb the attacks.

According to the AI Country Director, Isa Sanusi, their investigation showed that the armed men operated for more than 48 hours, moving from one village to another.

He said, “Our investigation shows that the gunmen were on the rampage of killing and destruction for more than 48 hours, moving from one village to another. Apart from Bokkos Local Government Area, where the attacks started and lasted hours, the gunmen also crossed into Barkin Ladi Local Government Area and killed dozens of people in Hurum, Daruwat, Maiyanga, and NTV villages.

“President Bola Tinubu must set up an impartial, independent, and effective panel to investigate the apparent failure of security agencies to halt the bloodshed hours after villages that were attacked were gathering dead bodies of those killed and conveying those injured to hospitals.”

Speaking in an interview with our correspondent on Wednesday, the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, admitted that the troops received over 30 distress calls while the attacks were on but were handicapped by the difficult terrain and other factors.

He also said the manner in which the assailants planned and executed the attacks across the locations made it difficult for the troops to get to the scenes on time.

Edward added that the military was rejigging its strategy to ensure speedy intervention in the future.

He said, “The assailants took advantage of the relative peace that had returned to the state due to the military pressure of the past months. There were over 30 distressed calls from the communities when the attack was ongoing. Before troops could arrive at some of the locations, the havoc had been done.

“The combination of the difficult terrain and other factors played a role in delaying troops’ arrival at some of the locations.

“The assailants had intentionally planned to attack several locations at the same time to make it difficult for troops to reach there on time. Troops strategy is being rejigged to allow faster intervention in the future.”