Gabriel Dewan, the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, recently administered the oath of office to nine out of the 16 All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers.
As reported by The Nation, the swearing-in ceremony occurred in the early hours of Friday in Jos, the state capital.
Additionally, one of the members representing Jos East was appointed as the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, according to the report.
Gunmen have defied the 24-hour curfew declared by Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang in Mangu Local Government Area and launched an attack on some communities in the area.
About thirty people were said to have been killed in the early morning attack on Kwahaslalek and surrounding communities.
It was gathered that the victims, who were mostly women and children, had run to the house of a community leader in the area last night for safety following earlier unrest during the day in Mangu town.
Confirming the attack, Plateau State Commissioner of Police Alfred Alabo said investigations were ongoing to apprehend the culprits.
He assured the people of their safety, adding that normalcy was gradually returning to Mangu with the deployment of security personnel and a surveillance helicopter.
Reacting to the attacks, security analyst Tunji Olarewaju described the incidents as acts of terrorism, calling for prompt apprehension of the attackers.
Speaking on Inspiration FM’s political program, All Out Politics, Olanrewaju emphasised the need to equip the police adequately to counter such attacks.
He also urged the government to be more decisive in addressing the cause of the attacks.
Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang has enforced a 24-hour curfew in the Mangu Local Government Area of the state, effective immediately. The decision, prompted by the deteriorating security situation in the area, was communicated in a statement released on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, by the governor's Director of Press and Public Affairs, Gyang Bere.
Governor Mutfwang decided, following consultations with relevant security agencies, to emphasise that only individuals on essential duties are permitted to move within the local government area until further notice. He urged all citizens, particularly residents of Mangu Local Government Area, to adhere to the directive and collaborate with security personnel by providing credible information to restore peace and order.
Expressing concern over persistent efforts to create an atmosphere of insecurity in the state despite government initiatives to combat terrorist activities, Governor Mutfwang extended sympathy to the families of victims and the injured. He assured them that the government remains unwavering in its commitment to achieving lasting peace in the state.
The governor pledged to review the curfew once the security situation improves. This development comes against the backdrop of a December 2023 incident where bandits attacked numerous communities in Plateau State, resulting in the tragic loss of over 160 lives and leaving more than 1000 individuals injured on Christmas Eve.
The Plateau State House of Assembly resumes plenary today. The 16 lawmakers elected on the platform of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) had said they would resume their legislative duties despite their sack by the Court of Appeal.
In November, the Court of Appeal in Abuja sacked the 16 PDP lawmakers because the party had no structure to nominate them as candidates.
Addressing a press conference in Jos, the lawmakers, led by a former Majority Leader, Yobo Ishaku, argued that since the Supreme Court, which upheld the election of the state governor, Caleb Mutfwang, on the same issue, had ruled that the PDP had a valid structure to nominate them as candidates, the verdict of the Appeal Court sacking them as lawmakers had become a nullity.
Ishaku, who represented Bokkos State Constituency, explained their decision to resume plenary.
They called on President Bola Tinubu and the heads of the Nigerian judiciary to sanction the President of the Court of Appeal, under whose watch the alleged illegality was committed.
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