![Dr Muhammad Ali Pate, CEO of Gavi Alliance. [PHOTO CREDIT: Twitter handle of Atiku Abubakar]](https://i0.wp.com/media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2023/02/Dr-Muhammad-Ali-Pate.jpeg?fit=1080%2C720&ssl=1)
Residents have criticised President Bola Tinubu’s Thursday visit to Plateau State, following the Palm Sunday attack in Gari Yawaye, Angwan Rukuba, Jos North LGA, which claimed about 30 lives and left many injured.
President Tinubu arrived at the Yakubu Gowon Airport in Heipang around 4:59 p.m., roughly 36 kilometres from the scene of the massacre, and addressed a gathering of politicians, traditional rulers, and select victims before departing.
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Rather than visiting the community or hospitals where victims are receiving treatment, his engagement was confined to the airport, prompting widespread frustration.
Residents decry “detached” leadership
Social media lit up with criticism. Kacholom Luka, in a Facebook post on Friday, asked: “Welcome to Heipang Airport, Mr President. Are the injured victims being transported here for your viewing? Should you not be visiting them in the hospital?”
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Other Facebook users expressed similar sentiments:
Joel Poret: “This is the most insensitive, callous act ever. Victims were not invited; only politicians and dignitaries were present. What sort of leadership is this?”
Rhoda Daniel: “No sign of humanity. We expected empathy, but all we got was a political display far from the real victims.”
Residents also drew comparisons to past incidents. Aaron Azi referenced Mr Tinubu’s 2025 visit to Benue State after the Yelewata killings, which, he noted, “was turned into a political rally rather than a condolence visit.” Kefas Habila lamented:
“The presence of a leader during tumultuous times gives hope and energy. But to stay a stone’s throw away while victims suffer shows a lack of commitment to the people.”
Critics further questioned the optics of the ceremony, describing it as overly formal and politically orchestrated. Attendees were issued ID cards, and access was tightly managed, while religious leaders reportedly did little to challenge the staged nature of the visit.
Political Reactions
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, through his aide Phrank Shaibu, described the visit as “insensitive and detached from reality.” The statement criticised Tinubu for neither visiting bereaved families nor injured victims and for offering no concrete security measures.
“Atiku criticised the decision to transport grieving residents to Heipang for a meet-and-greet, describing it as reducing a human tragedy to a choreographed spectacle,” the statement said. “Nigerians are not seeking symbolic visits; they need effective governance that guarantees protection of lives and property.”
Security response and technology deployment
During his brief address, President Tinubu pledged to halt the cycle of violence in Plateau. He announced plans to deploy 5,000 AI-powered surveillance cameras across Jos, with Huawei and other companies already mobilised to begin installation.
The system aims to improve real-time intelligence and rapid response by security agencies.
The president also instructed security operatives to apprehend and prosecute perpetrators and tasked the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs with assessing victims and losses to guide targeted interventions.
“There is nothing I can give you, whether in billions, that can replace the lives lost. But we will do everything possible to ensure such a tragedy does not happen again,” Tinubu said.
Military reinforcements
The Nigerian Army deployed 850 additional troops from Abuja and Kaduna to Plateau under Operation Enduring Peace. Army Chief Waidi Shaibu led a security assessment in Jos, assuring residents of protection and urging them to comply with curfews while investigations continue.
International and civil society concern
US Congressman Chris Smith condemned the attacks, calling on Nigerian authorities to protect Christian communities during significant religious periods, describing the killings as part of a “deeply disturbing pattern.”
Meanwhile, the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria suggested foreign involvement in the attacks, claiming well-funded external actors exploit local fault lines to incite conflict.
READ ALSO: “This will not repeat itself,” Tinubu vows in Jos
Secretary-General Nafiu Ahmad called for urgent intelligence operations and regional cooperation to prevent further escalation.
“The government must move beyond rhetoric and demonstrate both political will and operational capacity to end these senseless killings,” Ahmad said.
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