Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, has condemned the recent attacks on some communities in Plateau.

Mr Obi made the condemnation when he paid a condolence visit to Gov. Caleb Mutfwang on Sunday in Jos.

The former LP presidential candidate, who described the killings as reckless, stressed that there was no need for such cruelty on innocent civilians, particularly that the country was not at war.

“I am here to condole with you on the recent killings in Bokkos and other communities in the state. Let me reiterate that we have no reason as a country to be going through this.

“There is no reason for people to be chased out of their communities to an IDP camps; we are not at war and so people must live in their communities, go to their farms and live a life that is protected by the government.

“This is the primary essence of governance, they must be able to protect life and property,” he said.

While commending the governor for the visible developmental strides in the state, Mr Obi stated that Nigerians shared in his grief and would continue to support his government.

“I want to thank you in particular for what the Plateau Government is doing under your leadership; I know that Nigerians are with you, we are praying with you.

“I have particularly followed up on what you are doing in the state and I must say they are quite commendable.

“I have always condemned what is happening all over Nigeria, where people are killed, chased out of their communities for no reason.

“Therefore, we must all work together to stop this menace; this is why I’m here today.

“I pray that the Almighty God will continue to be with you and the good people of Plateau and that all of these will come to an end soon.

“May God grant eternal rest to those who lost their lives and grant their families the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss” he said.

Responding, Mr Mutfwang lauded Mr Obi’s compassion and selfless love for the downtrodden, noting that the former LP’s presidential candidate had always stood with the poor and the less privileged ones in the society.

Mr Mutfwang, who called on the elites to look at the situation in the state with a view towards finding a lasting solution, maintained that the attacks were an orchestrated genocide, that needed all hands to be on deck.

“I want to thank you for how you have always stood with the downtrodden; it has become the hallmark of your life that you identified with the downtrodden across the country.

“We have a situation on our hands that calls for compassion and action, we want to thank you sincerely for taking out time to visit and commiserate with us.

“What happened in Bokkos over the last two weeks was nothing short of a genocide; what we are facing is not a clash, but a deliberate, orchestrated and planned attacks to evacuate people from their homelands.

“Yesterday, we visited some of the communities that were attacked two years ago, the people had to flee from their lands; their houses have been taken over by the criminals,” he said.

The governor, who commended the efforts of the federal government in the fight against insecurity in the state, called for more actions to tackle the menace.

“We have been playing with this matter as a nation for over two decades, but the time has come for a consensus to end it.

“If we don’t wake up to stop it now, we may wake up and find that we have no country to call our own; but may God forbid that,” he prayed.

(NAN)