The House of Representatives has asked the Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, to launch a military operation to attack banditry around Plateau, Gombe and Bauchi states in the wake of the Christmas Eve massacre.
This motion was a sequel to a motion moved by former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Idris Wase, during plenary on Saturday.
It would be recalled that the Christmas Eve massacre resulted in the death of over 100 people in Plateau State.
Moving the motion, Wase said the attacks happened in 12 villages in Bokkos Local Government, namely Ndun, Ngyong, Murfet, Makundary, Tamiso, Chiang, Tahore, Gawarba, Dares, Meyenga, Darwat and Butura Kampani.
He added that similar attacks happened in communities in Barkin-Ladi LGA, namely NTV, Hurum and Darawat.
“Findings from the assessment of the ugly incidents in Bokkos LGA revealed that the total number of villages attacked is Twelve (12), Two Hundred and twenty-one (221) houses were set ablaze, Twenty- seven (27) motorcycles were burnt, Eight (8) motor-vehicles were burnt down and over Seventy -nine (79) persons were killed. while Seventeen deaths were recorded in Barkin-Ladi LGA,” the former deputy speaker said.
He added that the “death toll from the various attacks at Bokkos, Barkin Ladi and Mangu LGAs of Plateau State has surpassed over 200 as at 29th December 2023 with many others seriously injured according to several news sources”.
Wase, who represents Wase Federal Constituency, noted that “security agencies are yet to identify the perpetrators of these heinous attacks”.
Following the motion, the House ruled that the Minister of Defense should initiate a coordinated Joint Security Operation within the Local Government Areas and adjoining towns located in Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba and Nasarawa states to flush out criminals and bandits and prevent them from escaping to other states.
The lawmakers also observed a minute silence in honour of the victims of the attacks.
They directed the Inspector General of Police to immediately conduct a detailed investigation into the attacks with a view to identifying the perpetrators and bringing them to justice
