At least 145 persons were killed in bandits’ attacks on 23 villages in Bokkos and Barkin Ladi local government areas of Plateau State.
The attacks, which also left hundreds of people injured and property destroyed, were said to have occurred from Saturday night to the early hours of Monday.
The Senate said due to the coordinated nature the massacre was carried out by the marauding bandits, it showed that there was failure of security intelligence.
The Red Chamber, following a motion by Senator Diket Plang (APC, Plateau) during Saturday’s plenary, invited the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Air Staff, Director-General of State Security Services, National Security Adviser, Director General of Nigeria Intelligence Agency and Inspector General of Police over the killings.
The security chiefs are to brief the Senate on the gruesome killings in Plateau State to enable the parliament take further action.
Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi), who chairs the Northern Senators’ Forum, described the attack as unprecedented.
The lawmaker said his findings after spending 72 hours in Plateau and meeting with the state’s governor, showed the attackers, in collaboration with the locals carried out the attacks in a well coordinated manner.
He said the bandits, numbering about 400, operated freely without hinderance, alleging that the security agents failed to act on the prior information before the attack happened.
He also said there was no synergy among the security agencies.
Simon Lalong, a former Plateau State governor, faulted the claims of the military that the terrain was difficult to access and the attacked communities were too distant from military formations.
He expressed disappointment that despite the various military operations, including Operation Safe Haven, keeping peace in the state, innocent lives are being lost in a gruesome manner.
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