President Muhammadu Buhari has blamed the killings in Plateau State at the weekend on politicians, saying they took advantage of the precarious situation caused by the clashes between herdsmen and farmers.
The president made this remark on Monday, describing as unfortunate, how increasingly cheap human life was becoming in Nigeria.
He said with the hope that they would gain advantage in the coming election through chaos, desperate people pursued their quest for instability.
He said although the geographical and economic factors had contributed to the longstanding herdsmen/farmers clashes, politicians cashed in on it.
He however warned that those affected by the herdsmen/ farmer clashes must always allow the due process of the law to take its course rather than taking the law into their own hands.
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In a statement issued by his media aide, Malam Garba Shehu, the president said reliable information at the Presidency’s disposal indicated that some political thugs were responsible for the latest mayhem which led to gross loss of lives.
The statement reads in part: “According to information available to the Presidency, about one hundred cattle had been rustled by a community in Plateau State, and some herdsmen were killed in the process. The state governor, Simon Lalong, had invited the aggrieved groups and pleaded against further action while the law enforcement agents looked into the matter. Less than 24 hours later, violence broke out.
“Some local thugs then took advantage of the situation, turning it into an opportunity to extort the public, and to attack people from rival political parties. There were reports of vehicles being stopped along the roads in the state, with people being dragged out of their cars and attacked if they stated that they supported certain politicians or political party.
“On his way back to Jos after attending the All Progressives Congress (APC) Convention in Abuja, the state governor had to dismantle a number of illegal road blocks set up by these thugs. There were also a number of dead bodies thugs had killed, lying along the road.”
