The Police and Special Task Force in Plateau have put their operatives in Jos, the state capital, on high alert following reports that members of the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, fleeing from military onslaught in Borno State have been sighted in Bauchi and other neighbouring states.
There was high presence of riot policemen as well as increased security checkpoints in Jos and Bukuru metropolis on Sunday.
Most churches witnessed low turnout as the increased security presence and extra search created panic among residents.
Commissioner of Police, Mr. Chris Olakpe, told our correspondent that the police were not leaving anything to chance in the bid to ensure that terrorists fleeing from Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, did not find a safe haven in Plateau.
“We are beefing up security and all the security agencies in Plateau are cooperating to ensure that the state is kept safe. You know that a state of emergency was declared in three states and Plateau escaped because intelligence report had indicated that the state was relatively safe,” Olakpe said.
The commissioner said he was also cooperating with officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service to secure the borders and ensure that illegal immigrants did not take advantage of the situation to enter the state.
Meanwhile, Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang said he would continue to support President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure permanent peace in the country.
Jang stated this in an interview with journalists at the Yakubu Gowon Airport, Haipang, Jos, shortly after his arrival from an overseas trip.
Jang assured the residents that security agencies in the state were capable of keeping the state safe from any type of insurgency and urged the people to cooperate with the security agencies.
He said the President, as the chief security officer of the country, must have had all the security reports before declaring a state of emergency in the three states.
The governor said, “The President knows better because he is the Chief Security Officer of the nation. What we need to do is to support everything that he is doing so that we can bring total peace to our nation.
“The state of emergency, like we had in some local government areas in the country, is to ensure that the military personnel are given the free hand to be able to bring total peace.
“We hope what the President has done will now bring total peace to Nigeria and all the states so that the desire dividends of democracy are provided to Nigerians”
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Source: Punch
