President Bola Tinubu has asked residents of Plateau State to forgive him for not visiting communities affected by repeated attacks, particularly Angwan Rukuba in Jos North Local Government Area, where several people were killed on March 29.
Tinubu made the appeal on Saturday during the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally in Jos, where he acknowledged the destruction caused by years of violence across the state.
The President said his previous visit to Plateau had been limited to the airport but insisted that he was aware of the suffering in the affected communities.
“When I last visited, the other time, I was limited to the airport; forgive me if you didn’t see me in the hinterland, but I saw the devastation,” he said.
He added that Governor Caleb Mutfwang had briefed him on the situation and that he had seen the pain of residents affected by the attacks.
Tinubu promised that his administration would support the rebuilding of destroyed communities and ensure that displaced residents could return to their homes.
He also appealed to residents to live peacefully with one another, saying differences in language and identity should not turn neighbours into enemies.
“Living in different rooms and speaking different languages does not make us enemies of one another. We have to live together, we have to farm together, we have to build this Plateau and this country together,” he said.
The President also expressed sympathy for families who lost loved ones, survivors of the attacks and residents whose homes were destroyed or who remained displaced.
He acknowledged that violence in Plateau since 2001 had claimed lives, destroyed property and forced many people from their communities.
Angwan Rukuba attack and Tinubu’s previous visit
On March 29, gunmen opened fire on people at a popular bar in Angwan Rukuba, killing several residents. The attackers were suspected to be cultists.
Tinubu visited Jos in April following the incident but did not travel to the affected community. During the visit, he ordered the deployment of 5,000 artificial intelligence-enabled surveillance cameras to strengthen security in the state.
He also met with stakeholders and some victims’ families at the Plateau airport, where he expressed sympathy over the killings and said no amount of compensation could make up for their losses.
However, his decision not to visit the affected communities drew criticism, with some Nigerians questioning why he restricted his visit to the airport.
Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, later explained that Tinubu had other engagements scheduled before the attack, including a meeting with the Chadian President in Abuja and a visit to Iperu in Ogun State.
The explanation followed public criticism of the President’s handling of the visit.
