The Governor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang, has appealed to the residents to shelve further protests and embrace dialogue with the State Government, News About Nigeria reports.
The governor made this plea in a state-wide broadcast on Tuesday morning.
He assured the protesters that he had heard their demands clearly, and was willing to engage in a dialogue with the leaders of the protest.
Mutfwang maintained that the more the protest continues, the higher chance it has of being hijacked by hoodlums and sponsored criminals, adding that such elements are waiting for opportunities to loot shops, attack, and rob innocent citizens of their hard-earned belongings.
“I have heard you clearly, and we are in this together. I, therefore, appeal to you to stay further protests so we can dialogue with your leaders to add value to our thinking and plans for poverty alleviation since we do not possess a monopoly of wisdom. As soon as the protests are over, we shall meet with the leaders of the youth groups across the state for further dialogue.
“The more we continue with the protests, the more the likelihood of being hijacked by sponsored criminals and hoodlums like we began to notice from Sunday evening.
“Based on the intelligence at our disposal, we know the lawful protests have been infiltrated by criminals who were waiting for an opportunity to loot shops, attack and rob innocent citizens of their hard-earned belongings.
“We even saw the display of foreign flags by some of these criminally minded intruders. So as a responsible government, we had to take proactive steps to prevent further acts of criminality; thus, the 24-hour curfew we imposed on Jos-Bukuru metropolis starting from Sunday midnight.
“The resistance by hoodlums in some parts of the Jos North area from Monday morning till late afternoon proves that our action of imposing the curfew is justified. Credible sources have revealed that because of the peace that Plateau is enjoying, merchants of violence invited hoodlums from neighbouring states to disrupt the peace in Jos.
“Let me appreciate our traditional, community, and religious leaders, as well as civil society organizations who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to assuage the justifiable anger and frustrations of the protesters. We urge you not to rest on your oars until normalcy is restored so we can take more reassuring steps in the right direction,” he stated.
