Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State has disclosed that between 2001 and May 2025, over 420 communities were attacked while nearly 12,000 lives were lost in the state.
The governor disclosed this at the North Central Zonal Public Hearing of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on National Security Summit held in Jos the Plateau State capital.
Mutfwang who was represented by his deputy Ngo Josephine Piyo said evidence revealed that most of the deadly attacks were neither random nor isolated, but appeared deliberate, coordinated, and sustained by multiple actors pursuing economic, territorial, religious, and political interests.
According to the governor, the routes of infiltration, patterns of destruction, and strategies of occupation all suggest a broader agenda of destabilisation, one that requires decisive and multidimensional responses.
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He also noted that additionally, a common feature of the plight of rural communities is displacement and land grabbing, leading to the loss of livelihoods, land, and cultural heritage.
"Criminal groups continue to exploit mining sites, using proceeds to finance their operations with arms and drugs. While the Plateau State Government has attempted to curb this through mining bans and regulatory enforcement, challenges persist due to deep-rooted links between illegal mining and organized criminal networks."
The governor further maintained that it was time to stop pointing fingers and comparing who lost more lives across religious or ethnic divides adding that it was time to unite, join hands and confront this demon.
He called on all stakeholders to make honest and useful contributions that would return Plateau State and Nigeria to the path of unity and prosperity.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Senate public hearing on National security Senator Abba Moro in his remarks said the engagement served as an instrument for broad consultation designed to gather diverse views and perspectives on the complex security challenges confronting our nation.
According to him, when one traverse both rural and urban landscapes across Nigeria, the evidence of insecurity is pervasive and deeply troubling adding that insurgency persisted in the Northeast, militancy in the Niger Delta, banditry, farmer herder clashes, communal conflicts, kidnapping, terrorism, and destruction of farmlands across the Northwest, North Central, and other regions.
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He noted that the summit is therefore an affirmation of the seriousness with which the National Assembly approaches its constitutional mandate to safeguard lives, property, peace, and prosperity through lawmaking and other legislative interventions.
According to Moro the resolutions from this summit are expected to support a more comprehensive and enduring national security policy.
"Let me also emphasize that national security is a shared responsibility. It does not rest solely on the military or security agencies. Communities must remain vigilant. State governments must continue to support localized security initiatives.
"As we begin this session, I urge all participants to be concise and solution-driven. Please focus on the precise security challenges facing the North Central region and propose actionable solutions that government at all levels can implement to mitigate them," he said.
