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Tinubu Has Made Plateau Peace A Core National Security Priority
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has assured the people of Plateau State that President Bola Tinubu is resolute on ending the years of bloodshed and violent crisis in the state.
Akpabio spoke at the weekend in Jos, where he represented Tinubu at a grand rally organized by the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Jos Polo Field.
He said Tinubu had placed the search for lasting peace on the Plateau at the centre of his national security strategy, adding that the state’s security situation is now a top priority at the highest level of government.
That was as the president sent an emissary, Dr Abiodun Essiet, to Plateau State to help restore peace and enhance intercommunal harmony in the state.
Relatedly, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) apprehended another arms dealer linked to terrorist activities in Plateau and neighbouring states, Musa Abubakar.
The arrest came shortly after the recapture of Abdulazeez Obadaki, also known as Bomboy, a Kuje Prison escapee, who masterminded the Owo and Deeper Life Bible Church attacks.
Akpabio addressed thousands of APC supporters, who gathered to witness what party leaders described as one of the biggest political realignments in Plateau State ahead of the 2027 general election.
In a statement by his media aide, Anietie Ekong, Akpabio told the crowd that the president was deeply troubled by the years of killings, displacements, and social fractures that had shaped life in many Plateau communities.
He stated, “Too many lives have been lost. Too many homes destroyed. The Plateau deserves peace, and anyone who wants to govern this state must be committed to peace. President Tinubu’s determination to end the killings is unwavering.”
The senate president added that he felt personally distressed each time tragedy struck the state.
“I cry whenever anybody is killed on the Plateau. This state is yearning for peace, and President Tinubu will deliver peace to Plateau State,” he said, drawing applause from the crowd.
Although the rally was convened primarily to receive defectors from five opposition parties into APC, Akpabio anchored his remarks on national stability, insisting that the security of life and property remained the administration’s overriding priority.
He said the people of Plateau deserved to live without fear, and assured them that the federal government’s commitment to ending the cycle of violence was total.
The event signalled a major political shift, as several influential figures formally crossed over to the ruling party.
Among them were Senator Istifanus Gyang, who represented Plateau North in the Ninth Senate; Latep Dabang, former director-general of PDP’s 2023 campaign; Labour Party’s 2023 governorship candidate, Dr. Patrick Dakum; and former New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) governorship candidate, Alfred Dabwam.
Those that joined APC also included three serving members of the House of Representatives – Hon. Fom Dalyop (Riyom/Barkin Ladi), Hon. Ajang Alfred Ilya (Jos South/Jos East), and Hon. Daniel Asama Ago (Bassa/Jos North) – as well as dozens of former legislators, political actors, and grassroots influencers.
Akpabio described the influx of defectors as evidence that APC had become the dominant political force in Plateau under the leadership of the party’s National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda.
He declared, “The calibre and spread of those joining the party reflected its growing strength. My ears have heard and my eyes have seen that from today the entire Plateau is APC. Come 2027, Plateau shall deliver the APC.”
He praised Tinubu for endorsing Yilwatda as National Chairman, describing him as “a man of valour, integrity and dignity” whose emergence had reconfigured Plateau’s political landscape in favour of the ruling party”.
The senate president stated, “You can see that he has delivered Plateau State to APC before the elections,” adding that the party’s renewed strength is bolstered by the combined leadership of the president and the national chairman.
“When you are escorted by a lion like President Tinubu, you have nothing to fear,” Akpabio added.
Addressing the rally, Yilwatda said the mass defection marked the “final consolidation” of APC’s hold on Plateau State, adding also that the political reality in the state has shifted decisively.
Yilwatda stated, “With this structure, with this firepower, Plateau will deliver President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027. All three Senate seats will be APC. All federal and state positions will be APC. The people have spoken: APC or nothing.”
He assured the newcomers of equal rights and privileges, urging them to see APC as a platform open to all who wish to contribute to what a new political era in the state.
The rally drew several high-profile dignitaries, including Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu; Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State; Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State; and Kogi State Deputy Governor, Salifu Joel, among other party leaders and stakeholders.
Tinubu’s Emissary in Plateau to Restore Peace, Foster Inter-communal Harmony
Tinubu sent an emissary, Dr Abiodun Essiet, to Plateau State to help restore peace and enhance intercommunal harmony in the state.
According to a statement by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, Essiet, a senior special assistant on community engagement in the North-central Zone, has already spent two days in the state meeting with Christian clerics and Fulani Miyetti Allah community leaders, with the efforts culminating in a town hall meeting in Jos, the state capital.
Delegates from various local government areas, traditional rulers, women, and youth leaders gathered to discuss ways to strengthen community-based peace structures and promote coexistence among diverse communities.
Essiet paid a courtesy visit to Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, Chairman of the Regional Church Council (RCC), in Barkin Ladi, where discussions centred on faith-based leadership and its role in promoting peace, unity, and social development.
Along with Dachomo, Essiet addressed some widows and conveyed Tinubu’s message of ethnic reconciliation in the state.
Dachomo had been the loudest voice of the Christian communities in the state.
Essiet also met with Fulani leaders in Barkin Ladi to foster dialogue and mutual understanding between pastoral and farming communities, reaffirming the federal government’s commitment to inclusive engagement.
She organised a workshop in Jos on establishing a community peace structure for the 17 local government areas in the state.
Essiet also held a closed-door meeting with the Irigwe community, the Miyetti Allah group, and representatives from the Youth Council of Bassa Local Government Area.
The discussion focused on sustaining peace and how the 17-member peace committee had strengthened dialogue, reconciliation, and coexistence between the two communities.
Essiet reiterated Tinubu’s commitment to peace and inclusive governance, stating that the community-based peace structure serves as a key instrument for grassroots unity, dialogue, and long-term stability in the North-central region.
A quick win in the peace efforts was the resolution of the conflict between David Toma, the owner of Agha Farm in Gyel district of Jos South, and some herdsmen.
Toma had seized two cows following the destruction of his farm.
On November 15, MACBAN Chairman in Bassa Local Government Area, Alhaji Isah Yau, paid a compensation of N500,000 to Toma, who subsequently released the cows.
All parties signed an undertaking to embrace peace in the state.
DSS Nabs Another Suspected Arms Supplier in North-central Region
DSS operatives apprehended Musa Abubakar, another arms dealer linked to terrorist activities in Plateau and neighbouring states.
The arrest came shortly after the recapture of Abdulazeez Obadaki, also known as Bomboy, a Kuje Prison escapee who masterminded the Owo and Deeper Life Bible Church attacks.
A source said the successful disruption of the high-target arms supply network followed a precise, intelligence-led operation conducted on November 12.
The source said, “The suspect confessed to having manufactured and distributed high-calibre weapons and ammunition to armed groups involved in violent attacks in Plateau State and other northern regions.
“His arrest reportedly followed credible intelligence on the activities of the suspect, which led to a targeted raid on his arms-manufacturing workshop located in the Mista Ali area of Bassa Local Government Area, Plateau State.
“Prior to the raid, DSS operatives had conducted extensive surveillance on Abubakar’s residence and workshop to gather critical intelligence.
“Abubakar was apprehended red-handed with various Improvised Explosive Device (IED) components, chemicals, and equipment, all of which have been confiscated by DSS operatives.”
The DSS had arrested a total of nine high-profile suspects involved in the Plateau and Benue attacks, including Timna Manjol, who had already pleaded guilty to two of four counts, including illegal possession of firearms, in a charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/451/2025.
Manjol is of First Baptist Church, Mangu Local Government Area, Plateau State.