The Federal government has commenced the deployment of food and non-food relief materials to communities and survivors of the Christmas Eve attacks by marauding gunmen in Plateau State.
The Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, stated this while speaking with journalist in Jos, the Plateau State capital.
The minister, who visited the affected communities for an on-the-spot assessment of the affected area with her counterpart from the Ministry of Defence and Service Chiefs, was on the ground to coordinate humanitarian responses.
Edu also visited churches and some IDP camps, where she observed a minute silence in honour of the dead, and addressed worshippers and victims who were taking refuge for protection after the attacks.
She assured them of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to bringing lasting solutions in terms of security and resettlement of people resident in the state.
She said the humanitarian response would be made available almost immediately in line with the presidential directive, stating that “durable solutions would be provided while we rebuild to help them return to their ancestral homes.”
The Minister also said her ministry will partner with the Nigerian Military and the Plateau State Government for onward distribution of the relief materials.
She said: “The President has asked us to come to Plateau State to see what was on ground; he has also directed the immediate deployment of relief materials, including food items like rice, grains, vegetable oil, and non-food items like mattresses, clothes, blankets, among others, as well as other personal effects they will need while we plan for more durable solutions to their needs to enable them to go back to their ancestral homes.”
More than 100 persons were killed in about 15 communities in Barkin Ladi, Mangu, and Bokkos local government areas of Plateau State by yet-to-be-identified gunmen in coordinated attacks on Christmas Eve.
The gunmen also set now fewer than 100 houses ablaze during the attacks, a development that attracted condemnation across the globe.
The Minister of State for Defense, Muhammed Bello Matawalle, during the visit in the company of the three service chiefs, including the Air Force, Army, and Navy, assured the people and government of Plateau State of protection.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang, who received the two ministers and the service chief, had earlier briefed them at a closed-door meeting on the situation.