Governor Caleb Mutfwang

By Hadiza Abdulkadir

The Managing Director of the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), Ali Nuhu, has met with the Executive Governor of Plateau State, His Excellency Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, to discuss strengthening collaboration between the Corporation and the state government.

During the meeting in Jos, the Plateau State capital where the NFC is headquartered, both parties explored ways to expand their long-standing partnership in promoting film production, nurturing local talents, and positioning Plateau as a central hub for Nigerian and African cinema.

Ali Nuhu noted that the discussion centered on the shared belief in the power of storytelling to shape perception, promote unity, and drive development. He emphasized that Plateau State, with its stunning landscapes and rich cultural heritage, has long been a home for some of Nigeria’s most compelling stories.

“Our goal,” he said, “is to ensure that those stories are not only told but also seen, heard, and celebrated across the world.”

By Musa Kalim Gambo

ND Shehu Kanam, a political scientist and son of the soil, offered a searing insight into Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s recent statewide broadcast in a Facebook post following the blood-soaked tragedy that befell some communities in Plateau. In dissecting the speech, he made a remark that has lingered in my conscience like smoke from an unquenched fire:

“The governor made reference to previous attacks including Dogo Nahauwa and completely ignored the attack in Garga District of Kanam LGA in 2022 where over 100 lives were killed. At all times, Kanam LGA is being treated as third-class citizens in Plateau State.”

And how true that is—how bitter, how brazen. One would expect that in the arithmetic of grief, every loss would count, that memory would not play favourites. But alas, even in mourning, there is politics. Even in death, there are those deemed more worthy of remembrance than others.

Let’s be clear: every act of violence against any group of people is an abomination. It should be met with absolute condemnation. Those who carry out such horrors—burning homes, hacking down the old and the young, silencing lives with the crack of a rifle—are not just criminals. They are monsters in human form, agents of chaos and cruelty, and they must be made to face the full wrath of justice, if justice still has a name.

But then we turn to the governor’s address. Perhaps the speechwriter, weary and burdened, meant no harm. Maybe it was all too much—the urgency, the pressure, the tears behind closed doors. Perhaps grief blurred the pen, and memory failed. But selective memory tells a deeper story, whether by accident or design. It speaks of a hierarchy of pain where some cries echo louder in the chambers of power while others are muffled into silence.

The omission of the Kanam massacre, where bullets and blades buried over a hundred souls in 2022, is not just an editorial oversight. It is a symbolic erasure. It is a painful reminder that suffering is not always seen in some communities in Plateau. The state does not always mourn their dead. Their pain is not always acknowledged. In the cold theatre of political memory, Kanam seems to occupy the balcony—watching, grieving, unheard.

But why? Why must Kanam and others like it constantly beg to be seen?

Maybe the intention of the governor’s speech wasn’t to compile a historical record of tragedies. Perhaps it was just a passing mention meant to stir the ghosts and frame the urgency. But even a passing mention must carry the weight of justice. When invoking past massacres, we must strive for balance, breadth, and truth. We cannot cherry-pick grief.

This is not mere sentimentality—it’s about shaping policy from a place of inclusion. When the memory of a people is consistently erased or ignored, how can they believe in the solutions presented to them?

Interestingly, embedded in the governor’s speech was a subtle but telling reference to the nature of the attacks. The subsequent ban on open grazing and cattle movement at night across the state implies that the perpetrators may be connected to patterns of pastoral violence. Whether these connections are definitive or speculative is for the intelligence community to clarify. Yet, in that policy, one senses that the governor has a working theory of the violence–it is, therefore, expected that this act of violence will be brought to a definite end very soon.

Still, even the most astute policies will fall flat if people feel excluded from the conversation—if they feel like third-class citizens in their own land.

A state cannot heal when its government speaks selectively, and a people cannot move forward when some of their dead are left behind in the narrative. To move forward, we must gather all the names, all the villages, all the cries, and lay them bare—without hierarchy or hesitation.

Governor Mutfwang must do better. Plateau deserves better. Kanam demands no pity—only remembrance, and justice.

Let this not be another footnote in the long, bitter history of the Middle Belt. Let this be a turning point—where silence gives way to truth, and truth gives rise to healing.

Musa Kalim Gambo writes from Barkinladi, Plateau State.

By Muhammad Abubakar

A devastating attack has claimed the lives of over 50 people in Bassa, Plateau State, triggering national outrage and renewed calls for decisive government intervention. The latest wave of violence occurred just a day after a visit to the region by Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in Nigeria’s 2023 general election.

Obi, who had praised the resilience of Plateau’s people during his visit, expressed deep sorrow over the killings, calling them “heartbreaking” and “unacceptable.” In a strongly worded statement, he condemned what he described as a “deliberate, systematic pattern of coordinated attacks,” echoing similar concerns raised by Governor Caleb Muftwang.

“This is not the time for press statements,” Obi said. “It is time for concrete, strategic action. The people of Plateau need more than sympathy—they need security.”

He urged the federal government to immediately deploy reinforced security operations and actionable intelligence to identify and dismantle the criminal networks behind the atrocities.

Obi also called for swift justice for the victims, emphasizing that peace and dignity are the rights of every Nigerian citizen.

The incident marks another grim chapter in the ongoing violence plaguing Plateau State and raises urgent questions about the effectiveness of current security measures. Obi extended his condolences to the grieving families and prayed for strength for the people of Plateau and eternal rest for the departed.

By Uzair Adam

Governor Caleb Muftwang of Plateau State has decried the escalating insecurity in the state, revealing that no fewer than 64 communities have been overtaken by bandits.

Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, the governor described the situation as a form of genocide, allegedly perpetrated by terrorist groups backed by unidentified sponsors.

“I can tell you in all honesty that I cannot find any explanation other than genocide sponsored by terrorists,” he said, adding that security agencies must uncover the identities of those behind the acts.

Muftwang explained that the affected communities, located within Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, and Riyom Local Government Areas, had been previously attacked in 2023.

Despite efforts by residents to rebuild, he lamented that renewed assaults have now forced them out, with their lands being occupied and renamed by the assailants.

“As I am talking to you, there are not less than 64 communities that have been taken over… People are living there conveniently on lands they pushed others away from,” he said.

The governor further noted that the nature and scale of the violence indicate an organised effort, stressing the need for coordinated security action.

He said, “If these attacks have been going on for close to 10 years, it tells you that there is a deliberate, conscious attempt to clean out population. I am sure that in the coming days, the security agencies will work together, not at cross purposes but in unison.”

He reiterated that the violence in Plateau has gone beyond farmer-herder clashes, asserting that the crisis is the handiwork of organised criminal elements bent on destabilising the state.

“The aim of the enemy is to throw the state into gloom and mourning but we will rise above their intent,” he assured.

“This is not a farmer-herder issue… it is organised crime by malicious elements who do not want peace to reign.”

Muftwang concluded by expressing hope for divine victory and reaffirmed his administration’s resolve to resist the forces of instability.