The Joint Task Force Operation Enduring Peace has dismissed allegations that troops provided cover for perpetrators of the Palm Sunday attack in Angwan Rukuba community of Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The task force said the claim made by a youth leader of the community and circulating on social media was false and misleading, stressing that troops responded promptly after receiving a distress call.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Media Information Officer of the task force, Chinonso Oteh, said soldiers swiftly mobilised to the scene of the attack, which he noted was far from their deployment location, but found that the assailants had already fled.
“At no point did troops provide any form of cover for the terrorist elements who carried out the unfortunate attack that claimed the lives of innocent citizens. Rather, troops on receiving a distress call on the incident swiftly mobilised to the scene, which was far away from where they were deployed and observed that the attackers had fled,” the statement read.Oteh added that troops acted professionally to prevent further violence and pursued the fleeing attackers, a development he said was confirmed by survivors and other security agencies at the scene.
He disclosed that four gun trucks were dispatched to the community, noting that the responding personnel worked to avert what could have escalated into widespread bloodshed.“Specifically, four gun trucks mounted by troops were dispatched to the incident scene, and they acted professionally on arrival, as confirmed by other security agencies, as well as eyewitnesses at the scene of the attack. Nonetheless, the allegation was promptly investigated and confirmed to be false,” he said.
He described the allegation as capable of demoralising troops and creating disaffection between the military and host communities, urging the public to disregard the claim and support ongoing security operations.
“The comment by the youth leader is false, misleading and unfortunate, capable of demoralising troops and causing disaffection between the military and its host community. The public is requested to discountenance the comment, remain calm, law-abiding and continue to support troops with credible and actionable information,” the statement added.
He further stated that troops, in conjunction with other security agencies, had adopted strategies to apprehend the perpetrators, assuring residents that efforts were ongoing to maintain peace across Plateau State.
Gunmen had reportedly attacked the community, killing an unconfirmed number of residents and leaving several others injured, prompting condemnation from authorities.
Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang had earlier described the attack as heinous and pledged that those responsible would be brought to justice, assuring residents that the killings would not go unpunished.
