Brig. Gen. John Sura (Rtd), a former candidate for governor of Plateau State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has criticized Governor Caleb Mutfwang for the state’s persistent insecurity and ongoing murders.
In a statement released on Monday, Gen. Sura, who recently left the PDP for the All Progressives Congress, or APC, was harsh on the governor, pointing out that Mutfwang has resigned from government to pursue partisan politics in advance of the 2027 elections, while the people he promised to protect are being left without a leader.
In the last two years, insurgents have overrun over 96 communities and displaced thousands of households in three local governments of the state, he said, denouncing the situation.
According to Sura, the General Secretary of the State Resettlement Task Force on Internally Displaced Persons, or IDP, over 2,400 households have been impacted in the Barkin Ladi council area, while in the Bokkos and Mangu local government areas, respectively, 50 and 46 villages have been looted by roving Fulani militias.
We have roughly 46 villages in Mangu alone where no one lives anymore because they were driven out. We have nearly 50 abandoned villages in Bokkos,” he stated.
When you go to the IDP centers, you won’t meet them because they have already moved into the city centers, and this is causing more problems. In Barkin Ladi, I can’t recall the exact figures, but we are talking about close to 2,400 households affected,” Gen. Sura said.
Sura further lamented the state government’s lack of seriousness to carry out the recommendations contained in a report his committee put together for the government to act upon.
“To my surprise, more than one year down the line, nothing has been done on the report we submitted. From the interim report to even the final report, nothing.
The final report had been prepared since last year, but the government did not treat it urgently due to their lack of seriousness. The report was only occasionally placed in February of this year, and ever since, it has been collecting dust in the cupboard,” he said.
Additionally, Gen. Sura said that the committee, led by retired Air Commodore Christopher Pam, had located partially abandoned villages where residents fled in fear or after learning of impending attacks.
However, he lamented that the governor’s lack of political will meant that the comprehensive report, which is still intact, was left unaltered.
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