The Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, on Tuesday described as terrorists those who invaded some communities in his state, killing no fewer than 86 persons and injuring many others.
He, therefore, called on the Federal Government to treat the culprits the same way Boko Haram is being treated by the security forces.
The governor made the request just as President Muhammadu Buhari promised to continue to pressurise members of the law enforcement agencies to ensure security.
The governor who spoke during a meeting President Muhammadu Buhari held with stakeholders during his visit to Jos, on Tuesday, also called on the Federal Government to establish an Emergency Special Intervention Fund to help reconstruct the destroyed communities.
‘‘We are concerned as a state that the sophisticated weapons used in these attacks, from the evidences on the ground and the narrations of victims, are not those conventional to our environment for self-defence but reflective of a terrorist invasion.
‘‘It, therefore, demands a justified response like that which was undertaken to address the Boko Haram insurgency,’’ said Lalong.
Also speaking at the interactive session, the president urged traditional and community leaders to complement government’s efforts by persuading their constituencies to tolerate one another for peace and unity in the country.
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He said in the bid to find a way out of the state of insecurity, about eight days ago, he held a five-hour security meeting with the service chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police.
The president, who was accompanied to the meeting by Lalong and his counterparts from Kebbi and Niger, commiserated with the affected families, the government and people of the state.
He also wished those injured a speedy recovery.
The president also used the occasion of the interactive session attended by traditional rulers, community and religious leaders, representatives of youths, women and trade union groups, security chiefs and some top government officials to appeal to Nigerians to avoid inflammatory utterances that could endanger peace or promote conflicts.
