The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Tag: Plateau

  • Gunmen kill 9 people in Enugu, Plateau

    Gunmen kill 9 people in Enugu, Plateau

    Gunmen yesterday attacked Inyi Divisional Police Headquarters in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State.

    The attack led to the death of a police officer and a civilian who was said to have come to the station to lodge a complaint. The gunmen also set the station ablaze. A witness said the attackers were six in number and came in two vehicles.

    “The gunmen numbering six stormed the station and opened fire. The incident caused a serious pandemonium, but they (the gunmen) were telling the passers-by not to worry that they didn’t come for them.

    “After several minutes of heavy shooting, they set the one-storey building ablaze. As I’m talking to you now, the station is on fire. When they left the scene, we counted two dead bodies on the floor. They must have been hit by bullets because we know one of them and he is not a police officer. They came with two vehicles, silver and black coloured,” the witness narrated.

    Also, suspected bandits killed no fewer than seven people in three communities of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.

    The attack left the community leader dead, while several households were displaced in Takai, Kunet and Kulias communities in the council area.

    Member representing Mangu/Bokkos Federal Constituency of Plateau State in the House of Representatives, Engr Solomon Bulus Maren, condemned the attack and called for re enforcement of security in the affected communities. He described the persistent attacks on innocent communities as crimes against humanity.

    Maren explained that three communities of Bokkos local government area were attacked within the week and seven people were gruesomely killed, including community leaders. He said unleashing terror on the poor people was another attempt by the wicked groups to set the state ablaze.

    He described the increasing waves of attack on citizens as barbaric and called on security agencies to swing into action and apprehend those behind the killings. He appealed to the state government, the police and Operation Safe Haven to step up security in Bokkos local government and bring the attackers to book.

    Maren said the citizens deserve to be protected by security agencies to enable them to survive and live a peaceful life. While sympathising with the families and victims of the attack at Takai, Kunet and Kulias, he called for the protection of the citizens.

    (Sun)

  • PDP, APC fight over Plateau State Gov’s plan to spend N18bn on flyovet

     

    THE Plateau State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, are at each other’s throats over plans by Governor Simon Lalong to spend N18 billion on British-American flyover. The PDP, which is contending that government should tackle insecurity in the state, alleged that the project was a ploy for siphoning state resources.

     

    State Publicity Secretary of the Party, John Akans, in a statement in Jos titled: “As Lalong spends N18 billion on British-American Flyover: Kidnappers take over Plateau”, accused the governor of inflating the cost of the contract.

     

    Akans said: “The Plateau State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is continuously worried with the reckless way and manner Governor Simon Lalong is running affairs of the state. Reliable information is that the governor has earmarked a whooping sum of N18 billion for the recently announced British-American flyover when he is yet to complete other projects on ground.

     

    “It is believed that the governor inflated the cost of the less than half- kilometre bridge to siphon money as he prepares to hand over in the next one year. This is happening amidst the overwhelming and escalating insecurity in the state where people are being killed and kidnapped almost on a daily basis without succour because he has also refused to help the security agencies do their work. The proliferation of criminals in the state which has resulted in rampant killings, kidnappings and ritual activities is wreaking havoc in the state. People are no longer sleeping with their two eyes closed, including our traditional leaders who are the worst victims because of fear of criminals. Why a road construction in Plateau State should cost higher than that of Borno State where Governor Zulum awarded similar construction of such flyover bridge at the cost of N1.6 billion, while Abdulrahman of Kwara also awarded the construction of 34.5km road at the cost 3.7 billion.”

     

    But in a swift reaction, the ruling APC rebuked the PDP for raising such allegations, saying the PDP is “either suffering from crass ignorance or it has totally lost focus of governance process barely seven years after it was sacked by the electorate from governing the state.” Sylvanus Namang, the State APC Publicity Secretary in a reply asked the opposition party to note that “The mega project will cover design, compensation for land and property, geophysical surveys, soil test, load test and the main construction of the interchange (flyover) at the British-America Junction and dualisation from the junction to Lamingo Junction totaling 1.7 kilometres.”

     

    According to him: “Our attention has once again been drawn to a press release by the sleepy PDP in Plateau state. The press statement could have been simply ignored as one of its usual mischief except for the need to put the records straight for the reading public and for posterity. Going through the statement, it could be observed that the party is either suffering from crass ignorance or it has totally lost focus of the governance process barely seven years after it was sacked by the electorate from governing the state.”

     

    “The Honourable Commissioner of Works, Pam Bot-Mang on 18th December, 2021, issued a press release detailing the public on what the whole project entails. For the sleepy PDP’s information, the mega project will cover design, compensation for land and property, geophysical surveys, soil test, load test and the main construction of the interchange (flyover) at the always very busy and congested British America Junction and dualisation from the junction to Lamingo Junction totaling 1.7 kilometers.

     

    “The easy route for the PDP mischief to make its allegation look convincing is the reference to the project being inflated by the governor in order to divert the funds to personal use. This cheap blackmail cannot fly in the face of the Plateau State government’s recent winning of the international prize for transparency in governance in faraway South Korea.”

     

    Namang added, “The party alleged that the insecurity being witnessed in the state is because the state governor has “refused to help the security agencies to do their work.” Nothing can be further from the truth as no governor under the present democratic dispensation has funded and provided the enabling environment to security agencies as governor Lalong.

     

    “Let the point be clearly made, security is everybody’s business and when we ignore this fact, we shall all become victims. The APC government in Plateau State has invested greatly on security with innovation such as the Plateau Peace Building Agency, PPBA which is copied by several states.

     

    “It has consciously mended the broken fences of ethnic rivalries. Why can’t the PDP commend the security agencies when necessary rather than the crocodile tears and orchestrated lamentation by its leaders?”

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.vanguradngr.com

  • Plateau State Senator Sati Gogwin dies at 72

    Former Senator Sati Gogwim of Plateau died on Tuesday after a protracted illness, a family source has said.

     

    Mr Williams Gogwim, a younger brother of the deceased disclosed this when he spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria in Pankshin on Wednesday.

     

    “My brother has been sick since last year and in December he left the country for treatment abroad and only returned on Sunday, April 4.

     

    “He came back a little bit stronger, until this morning when he had a health crisis, which compelled us to rush him to Rayfield Medical Centre.

     

    ”Unfortunately on getting there he was confirmed dead,” he said.

     

    Williams said the family had taken his death in good faith, adding that as true Christians, they believed God called him home.

     

    “We are going to miss him, his love and warmth as a brother, father, uncle and supporter,” he said.

     

    Williams said that the family was shocked over his demise and would discuss the funeral soon.

     

    Gogwim was elected as senator representing Plateau Central in 2007 and spent four years at the National Assembly before losing to Sen. Joshua Dariye in 2011.

     

    Gogwim hailed from Dawaki Village in Kanke Local Government Area of Plateau.

     

    He retired as a Major in the Nigerian Army before joining politics  and became a senator in 2007.

  • Amending the constitution without restructuring is a waste of time – Jang

     

    A  former Governor of Plateau state, Jonah Jang on Tuesday said amending Nigeria’s constitution without restructuring will be a waste of time.

    He blamed the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As amended) for the nation’s current socio-economic problems.

     

    Jang said this while speaking on the state of the nation in an interview with journalists in Jos. He described the constitution as a document “full of injustice and imbalance” which should be dumped.

     

    The former Governor further said, “The Military cannot create a Constitution for a civil and democratic society. The 1999 Constitution (As Amended), is problematic because it gives some people undue advantage over the others.

     

    “Such Constitution, as we have now cannot stand and no matter the amendments, it will not work because our experience has shown that those saddled with the responsibility would only pick some portions that do not suit them to amend while those that suit them are left untouched even when the issues are detrimental to the survival and wellbeing of other Nigerians.

    “For instance, in Plateau state, the population in Jos South Local Government Area alone, is three or four times the size of Wase LGA. Yet, Jos South is joined with another LGA to form a federal constituency while Wase alone stands as a federal constituency.

    “You will find such abnormality and injustice against the people all over the country with the backing of the constitution. It should not be like that. The Governor as the chief security officer in his state cannot give certain orders to the commissioner of police his state without the officer first, getting clearance outside his domain in Abuja which is also abnormal

    “As a result, what we have presently is an unfortunate situation where state governors who are supposed to protect the people and drive the developmental aspirations of their people in their respective states without necessarily seeking clearance from Abuja, have now become captives due to the flaws in the constitution

    “The Government must allow people to deliberate, debate and discuss the issues and questions that have arisen out of the Constitution.”

     

    Jang insisted that “restructuring the country’’ and the enthronement of a new constitution agreed by Nigerians is the only way to move the country forward.

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com