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Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang
The Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, on Wednesday, dismissed insinuations that the state was witnessing another round of upsurge in violent attacks and killings
He was reacting to attacks by gunmen which claimed the lives of eight persons in Dafo and Kwata communities, Bokkos Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday night
He made this known while speaking with journalists on Wednesday during a biannual shooting range classification exercise conducted by the 3rd Division, Nigerian Army at its headquarters in Bassa LGA of Plateau state.
The Governor, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Security and Homeland Safety, Brig.Gen.Gagji Shippi (retd.) said, “I don’t think there is an upsurge in insecurity in Plateau. The killings in Kwatas and Dafo are a one-off occurrence after such a long while. We’ve not had this kind of attack until yesterday so, I would not really say there is an upsurge.”
The incident occurred in Bokkos Local Government on Tuesday night when gunmen stormed the town and opened fire on innocent villagers killing eight persons in the two affected communities.
Shippi said the attack claimed seven lives with an unnamed number injured.
He further disclosed that an investigation has been launched into the killings.
“We’re looking into it to know what the problem is and proffer solutions and should be able to nip it in the bud before it goes any further,” he said
A statement issued on Wednesday by the spokesman for the 3 Division, Nigeria Army, Aliyu Danja, during the event explained that the Nigerian Army Second Schedule Range Classification is an exercise conducted bi-annually in all the formations and units of the Nigerian Army for its personnel across the entire country.
He noted that the 3 Div second scheduled range classification exercise is designed to assess the serviceability of the Nigerian Army arsenal and at the same time to test the effectiveness of troops’ skills in weapon handling and also ascertain troops’ battle readiness.
“Furthermore, the exercise serves as an avenue for troops to sharpen their marksmanship skills, to ensure minimal casualty and waste of ammunition when deployed in battle or internal security operations.
“Also, the range classification exercise serves as an avenue of fostering mutual and cordial inter-agency relationships with sister security agencies through novelty shooting exercises where heads of security agencies, government functionaries, as well as traditional rulers, Retired senior Officers, Corp members and members of the media will take part in the exercise.
“The participation of security agencies and other guests is desirable as it strengthens collaboration between security organizations on the Plateau. The inclusion of traditional rulers and civil societies in the shooting exercise was designed to enable them to have a feel of our weapon and also foster cordial civil-military relations and cooperation with the general public and to also have a feel of the military experience.
PUNCH Online reports that the weapons fired by the officers and guests at the occasion include AK-47 rifles, FN Rifles and pistols among others
