Agency moves to curb emerging security threats in Plateau
The upcoming Local Government Elections in Plateau State, with a special focus in Jos North LGA, is fingered as flash point that will ignite crisis that will plunge the State into another round of crisis if not nipped in the bud, says the Director General, Plateau Peace Building Agency (PPBA), Mr Joseph Lengmang.
Lengmang stated this Thursday in Jos, during the monthly Peace Architecture Dialogue (PAD), powered by the United States of America Embassy, Abuja.
With the theme, “Emerging Security Threats in Plateau”, Mr. Lengmang said the Agency will be focusing on building sustainable structures of peace within the grassroot.
He said “we are poised to develop a sustainable peace platforms in all the wards and LGA to further push the message of peace to the grassroots”.
Recall that the 2008 crisis that engulfed Plateau was as a result of the LG polls in Jos North which was alleged to be rigged in favour of a candidate not favourable to Hausa community residing in the area.
Just recently, with the conclusion of the primaries of the forthcoming LG elections, tension is already mounting between the Christian and the Muslim community in Jos North owing to the obvious that a Christian emerged as a flag bearer for the People Democratic Party (PDP), while a Muslim candidate emerged as the flag bearer for the All Progressive Congress (APC).
Worried by the emerging political security threat, the PPBA, digressed temporary from it earlier focus on this month’s PAD forum “Mechanism for Sustainable Cooperation and Transformation of Farmer/Herder Conflict”, to discuss the security threat associated with the fourth coming local government polls in February 2018.
Our correspondent reports that the monthly PAD meeting which was put on hold for over three months as a result of paucity of funds will now run for nine months with the support of the United States of America Embassy in Abuja.
Kingsley Chukwuka, Jos
