The Plateau State Government has announced a major escalation in its fight against insecurity, declaring that the state is now officially “at war with terrorists and enemies of Plateau” following months of deadly attacks across several communities.
The declaration came after an emergency State Security Council meeting convened by Governor Caleb Mutfwang at the Rayfield Government House in Jos, where top government officials, security chiefs, traditional rulers, and local government chairmen gathered to review the worsening security situation in the state.
Speaking to journalists after the high-level meeting, the Secretary to the State Government, Samuel Jatau, said authorities had carefully reviewed the recent wave of violence and concluded that the attacks were not isolated incidents but coordinated assaults targeting Plateau communities.
Jatau explained that members of the security council unanimously agreed that Plateau had remained under sustained siege over the last four months, with armed groups carrying out repeated attacks that have led to loss of lives, destruction of property, displacement of residents, and heightened fear across different local government areas.
According to him, the government is now treating the situation as a serious security emergency requiring aggressive and immediate action.
The SSG revealed that the emergency meeting brought together security council members, all 17 local government chairmen in the state, and the Chairman of the Plateau State Joint Traditional Council, the Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Jacob Gyang Buba, in what he described as a united effort to restore peace and stability.
Providing details of the resolutions reached during the meeting, Jatau stated that the government had decided to intensify enforcement of existing security measures already introduced across the state.
He said the authorities would strengthen the ban on commercial motorcycles in affected areas, clamp down harder on illegal night grazing activities, and tighten restrictions around mining operations believed to be contributing to insecurity in some communities.
According to him, these activities have increasingly become security flashpoints and channels exploited by criminal groups to launch attacks or move around undetected.
Jatau further disclosed that the government had resolved to reclaim all ungoverned spaces and abandoned areas currently being used as hideouts by criminal elements.
He explained that security agencies had been directed to take full control of such territories, including remote communities, forests, and abandoned government facilities suspected to be occupied by armed groups.
The Plateau Government also announced plans to immediately improve operational support for security agencies operating in the state.
Jatau said the government would provide additional logistics, motorcycles, patrol vehicles, and operational equipment to security personnel to strengthen rapid response operations and improve surveillance across troubled areas.
He stressed that the new measures are aimed at boosting the capacity of security operatives to respond swiftly to attacks and prevent further loss of lives.
The declaration signals one of the strongest security positions taken by the Plateau State Government in recent years as violent attacks continue to affect rural communities and heighten tensions in different parts of the state.
Over the past few months, several communities in Plateau have witnessed deadly assaults linked to armed groups, leading to growing calls for stronger government intervention and more effective security coordination.
The government insisted that restoring peace remains a top priority and assured residents that decisive steps are being taken to confront all threats against the state.
Officials also called on residents, community leaders, and traditional institutions to cooperate with security agencies by providing credible intelligence capable of helping authorities track criminal elements and prevent future attacks.
The Plateau State Government maintained that the latest decisions taken by the Security Council reflect its determination to protect lives, reclaim vulnerable communities, and end the cycle of violence threatening peace and development across the state.
