Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has explained why he addressed a tense crowd from an armoured personnel carrier following the deadly Palm Sunday attack in Jos, the state capital.
The governor spoke on Friday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he said the decision was based on security advice and the need to effectively communicate with residents at a volatile moment.
“From the height I stood, part of the reason they put me in the ATC was for me to gain height in order to address the crowd,” he explained.
The incident, which gained traction on social media, triggered speculation that the governor was under threat. However, Mutfwang dismissed the claims, maintaining that the situation on ground was largely calm and cooperative.
“As I addressed the crowd and they were comfortable that I had arrived, that’s why they were saying, ‘come, come,’ assuring me that I could come and that there was no harm,” he said.
“Therefore, it was easy for the security personnel to accept my insistence on moving into the crowd.”
He said viral clips circulating online did not reflect the full extent of his engagement at the scene, noting that most of his time was spent interacting directly with residents.
“If not for mischief, why are people not focusing on where I spent 90 per cent of the time with the crowd, seeing the corpses, appealing to people, calming people?” he said.
“You could see that social media can take a small portion and misrepresent it completely.”
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Mutfwang added that he felt safe among the people despite the cautious approach of security operatives.
“I was comfortable with the people. I knew the people were not going to harm me, but the security had to,” he added.
The governor revealed that he was in Abuja attending official engagements, including the APC National Convention and security consultations, when he received news of the attack.
“I was in Abuja, you remember, at the back of the APC National Convention, and then I had a very high-level security consultation on Sunday evening with some of the top security chiefs,” he said.
“We were discussing some of the things we need to do going forward when the news filtered that this had happened.”
He said he immediately arranged to return to Plateau State despite a tight schedule, including a planned Northern Governors’ Forum meeting.
“As early as 7 a.m., the presidential air fleet released a plane for me to return home. I wanted to drive straight to the scene because the crowd had said unless they see the governor, they are not going to allow those corpses to be evacuated,” he stated.
On arrival, he said security concerns were heightened by the presence of suspected troublemakers attempting to escalate tensions.
“Around that neighbourhood, the NDLEA had been used to come and raid some of these drug addicts… and some of them had already gathered around the crowd trying to create a hostile scenario,” he said.
Despite the risks, the governor insisted on visiting the scene, stressing the importance of leadership and accountability.
“The security personnel have a duty to protect me, and if they assess that the situation is hostile… they have a duty to protect me,” he said.
“I could have stayed back until the whole thing had calmed down, but I insisted on going to the scene.”
Mutfwang also thanked residents of Plateau State for their support, pledging not to betray their trust.
“I want to thank Plateau people for the level of trust and confidence they have reposed in me, which I have vowed never to betray,” he said.