Plateau Massacre: President Buhari orders military to kill illegal weapon holders on sight

The Nigerian military has been ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari to go after perpetrators of the ongoing Plateau massacre. Despite heavy troops’ presence in the state, scores of indigenes have been murdered in recent weeks.

The marauders attack in broad daylight, steal, kill, rape, and destroy farmlands. Communities in Riyom and Bassa Local Government Areas are the worst hit. In one of the invasions, on July 31, 5 locals died and 85 buildings were set on fire at Jebbu Miango.

The Army scrambled a rebuttal after some natives declared that Maj.-Gen. Ibrahim Ali, the General Officer Commanding 3 Division in Rukuba, was on an “evil mission”. Ali, Commander of the Special Task Force, Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), was accused of acting on an “order” to wipe out the Miango chiefdom.

It was gathered that the President approved a special operation after a comprehensive security report by the National Security Adviser’s office. General Ali conveyed the directive on Monday while addressing the troops deployed in Tangoron community of Riyom LGA.

“The Commander-in-Chief, President Muhammadu Buhari has asked us to gun down anybody seen carrying an illegal weapon and we must carry out the order. “Those people must be criminals. You have to go into the bush and clear them wherever they are hiding”, he said. Ali further disclosed that the time frame for the operation is ten days. The GOC visited some areas in Miango and Biyei was attacked by the killers.