Rabiu Kwankwaso, the 2023 New Nigeria Peoples Party presidential candidate and former Kano State governor, has urged the Federal Government to take responsibility for safeguarding Nigerian lives following deadly attacks in Plateau State. In a Monday night post on his X handle, Kwankwaso reacted to the killing of at least 51 people and injuries to many in Zikke and Kakpa communities, Bassa Local Government Area, which also displaced numerous residents.

President Bola Tinubu condemned the violence in a statement signed by his adviser Bayo Onanuga, ordering security agencies to investigate and urging Governor Caleb Mutfwang to address the underlying ethnic and religious tensions fueling the crisis. Mutfwang, responding to the attacks, held an expanded state security council meeting to tackle the rising insecurity, assuring residents of his administration’s control.

Kwankwaso, while condolence to the people and government of Plateau, stressed that the state must not revert to being a center of violence after recent relative peace. He called on the Federal Government to protect lives and property, promote peace, and ensure justice by prosecuting those responsible for the attacks, which followed the killing of over 50 people in five communities within a week.