Human rights lawyer Ifeanyi Ejiofor has condemned Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State for addressing grieving constituents from within the confines of an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC).
In a statement titled “WEDNESDAY MUSINGS: BLOOD ON THE PLATEAU — GOVERNANCE FROM WITHIN ARMOURED SHELLS, WHILE CITIZENS BLEED IN THE OPEN,” issued on Wednesday, Ejiofor questioned whether the governor’s decision was driven by credible security intelligence or by an excessive display of caution.
Ejiofor, who holds the traditional title of Dunu-Ezeugosinachi, described the governor’s action as deeply troubling, characterizing it as both poor optics and a damning reflection of leadership in a time of crisis.
He argued that such a posture raises serious concerns about the relationship between the government and the people he serves.
The human rights lawyer further queried the implications of a situation in which a state’s Chief Security Officer cannot stand unshielded among his own citizens.
According to him, if the governor is unable to address his people without the protection of an armoured vehicle, it raises a more disturbing question: what then becomes of the ordinary farmer, the defenceless child, or the market woman who must navigate daily life without any such protection?
Read the full statement below:
The recurring tragedy in Plateau State has, once again, etched another grim chapter into our national conscience. On Sunday night, barely three nights ago, jihadist extremist launched a coordinated and deadly attack on the agrarian communities within Bokkos Local Government Area, with particular devastation reported in villages such as Hurti and its surrounding settlements. Dozens of innocent residents were brutally killed; early reports place the casualty figure at over 40 persons, with many others injured, displaced, or still unaccounted for.
This was not an isolated eruption of violence; rather, it forms part of a sustained pattern of bloodletting that has plagued Plateau for decades, an ugly intersection of ethno-religious tensions, land disputes, and the persistent infiltration of armed militias and bandits, often described, not without controversy, as Fulani extremist elements pursuing expansionist objectives.
Yet, beyond the horror of the killings lies an even more disturbing symbol of state failure: the image, both literal and metaphorical-of a Governor addressing his grieving constituents from within the perceived safety of an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC). Whether compelled by genuine security intelligence or by an excess of caution, the optics are damning. It is governance at a distance, leadership insulated, quite physically, from the very people it swore to protect.
One is left to ponder: if the Chief Security Officer of a state cannot stand unshielded among his own people, what then becomes of the ordinary farmer, the defenceless child, or the market woman?
There is a bitter irony in the timing. This latest carnage comes in the wake of high-profile political gatherings-most notably the just-concluded APC National Convention held in Abuja; where loyalty to power blocs is loudly reaffirmed, whilst loyalty to the sanctity of human life is quietly abandoned. The drums of electioneering beat ever louder and, predictably, the cries from the hinterlands fade into the background noise of political ambition.
Indeed, as Nigeria inches closer to another electoral cycle, governance appears to be slipping into autopilot. Security briefings give way to strategy meetings; intelligence coordination is overshadowed by campaign logistics; and the protection of lives is relegated to a mere footnote beneath the pursuit of political dominance.
And so, the terrorists adapt.
They understand our rhythms now. They know when attention is divided, when leadership is distracted, and when the machinery of state is retooled, not for protection, but for persuasion. Within that window of neglect, they strike with precision and impunity.
What we are witnessing is not merely a failure of security; it is a failure of priority.
A nation in which its leaders feel safer behind armoured steel than among their own citizens is a nation in urgent need of introspection. For governance is not measured by the eloquence of speeches delivered under protection, but by the courage to ensure that such protection is unnecessary in the first place.
If the value of human life continues to depreciate against the rising currency of political ambition, then we must confront an uncomfortable truth: we are not merely losing territory; we are losing our humanity. Until leadership rediscovers its first duty, the protection of life, every campaign promise will ring hollow over the graves of the forgotten.
As we step into this new month, may divine grace guide us, protect the vulnerable, and awaken the conscience of those entrusted with power. May doors long shut be opened, and may peace, long absent, find its way back to our land.
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