News

Plateau’s Insecurity Crisis: 420 Communities Attacked, Nearly 12,000 Lives Lost in 24 Years – Gov. Mutfwang Sounds Alarm at NASS Security Summit

Published

10 months ago

November 27, 2025

vicky

Insecurity Plateau Attack Gov. Mutfwang NASS1

The Executive Governor of Plateau State, His Excellency Barr. Caleb Mutfwang, has raised serious concerns over the scale and persistence of insecurity in the state, revealing that from 2001 to May 2025, about 420 communities have been attacked, nearly 12,000 lives lost, and countless livelihoods destroyed.

Governor Mutfwang made the disclosure during his address at the North-Central Zonal Public Hearing of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the National Security Summit, currently underway at Crispan Hotel and Suite, Rayfield, Jos. Represented by the Deputy Governor, Her Excellency Ngo Josephine Piyo, the Governor emphasized that most of the deadly attacks were neither random nor isolated, but appeared deliberate, coordinated, and sustained by multiple actors driven by economic, territorial, religious, and political interests.

He noted that the patterns of infiltration, destruction, and occupation indicate a broader agenda of destabilization requiring decisive and multidimensional responses. “A common feature of the plight of rural communities is displacement and land grabbing, resulting in the loss of livelihoods, land, and cultural heritage,” he said.

Governor Mutfwang further lamented that criminal groups continue to exploit mining sites, using the proceeds to finance their operations through arms and drugs. While the Plateau State Government has tried to curb this through mining bans and regulatory enforcement, he acknowledged that challenges remain due to entrenched links between illegal mining and organized criminal networks.

Expressing support for the Senate’s initiative, the Governor welcomed the public hearing as a critical step toward lasting solutions to what he described as a national calamity. He urged stakeholders to avoid divisive comparisons over who has suffered more across religious or ethnic lines, emphasizing the need for unity to confront the menace.

Governor Mutfwang also extended gratitude to the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and other Principal Officers of the National Assembly for hosting the public hearing in Jos, describing the location as symbolically significant, given Plateau’s long-standing experiences with insecurity.

Declaring the Summit open, the Governor called on all participants to make honest and constructive contributions to restore Plateau State and Nigeria to the path of peace, unity, and prosperity.

Groups expected to make presentations at the public hearing include PIDAN, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, CAN, JNI, Para-Mallam Foundation, among others. The One-Day Security Summit is chaired by Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee, with Senate Minority Leader Senator Abba Moro also in attendance.

Related Topics:Gov Mutfwang Insecurity NASS Plateau attack

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News

Gunmen kill two vigilantes, injure one in Plateau

Published

6 hours ago

September 16, 2026

Preport

Gunmen on Tuesday attacked vigilantes on duty in Tudun-Mazat village, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, killing two and injuring another.

Kefas Mallai, a youth leader and the chairman of the Community Peace Observers in Bokkos told Peoples Gazette on Wednesday that the gunmen attacked the security men at about 10:00 p.m.

“At about 10:00 p.m. yesterday, some terrorists attacked the local vigilante on duty at Tudun-Mazat village also known as NTV of Barkin Ladi LGA, Plateau State leading to the death of two local vigilantes and one injured”, he told The Gazette.

According to him, the attacked village is along Bokkos road in the state.

Alfred Alabo, the state police spokesperson, was not available for comment. Text and WhatsApp messages sent to him remained unanswered as of press time.

On August 18, The Gazette reported that gunmen invaded Bin-Per community in Kombum district of Mangu council and killed 23 persons including women and children.

Similarly on June 16, diver miners were killed at a mining site in Gero village, Gyel district of Jos South local council of the state.

Business

PenCom Extends Pension Verification Deadline for Civil Servants to December 2026

Published

6 hours ago

September 16, 2026

Preport

The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has extended the deadline for the ongoing mandatory One-Time Online Verification and Enrolment Exercise for employees of treasury-funded Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) who are entitled to accrued pension rights.

The exercise, which started in February 2026 and was initially scheduled to end on 31 July 2026, has now been extended to 31 December 2026. The extension follows several requests from MDAs seeking additional time for employees to participate in the online enrolment process.

The extension provides all eligible employees with another opportunity to complete the exercise and ensure that their accrued pension rights are accurately determined ahead of retirement.

Deadline Extension Due to Low Participation

Low participation in the exercise has necessitated the timeline extension. As at July 2026, MDAs had uploaded 62,320 records of active employees and retirees, while only 31,099 employees had successfully completed the enrolment process.These figures fall short of an estimated 150,000 active Federal Government employees entitled to accrued pension rights.

PenCom is therefore urging all eligible employees who are yet to enrol, as well as those who have started but not completed the process, to use the additional time provided by the extension to complete their enrolment.

Exercise Addresses Legacy Pension Liabilities

The initiative is part of the Federal Government’s efforts to settle pension liabilities carried over from the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS), which existed before the introduction of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) in 2004.

Under Section 15(1) of the Pension Reform Act 2014 (PRA 2014), employees who transited to the CPS are entitled to accrued pension rights, beingbenefits earned under the DBS.

These accrued rights comprise pension and gratuity benefits earned by eligible employees from their date of first appointment up to 30 June 2004. Their determination is based on an actuarial valuation process.

In a circular issued on 27 April 2026, the Head of Civil Service of the Federation had directed all treasury-funded MDAs to support the exercise and ensure that eligible employees complete the One-time Enrolment as required by PenCom. This is essential for determining the Federal Government’s outstanding pension liabilities and making adequate budgetary provisions for their settlement.

Digital Transformation Drives New Approach

The One-Time enrolment exercise is fully digital and is conducted through PenCom’s Contributions and Bond Redemption Application (COBRA).

COBRA is a secure platform designed to facilitate data capture, validation and processing.

Benefits of Early Enrolment

Early completion facilitates the determination of accrued pension rights and enables the necessary funding to be secured from the Federal Government. Subsequently, the amounts would be credited to the employees’ Retirement Savings Accounts (RSAs) well ahead of retirement, thereby earning investment returns and boosting retirement benefits.

MDAs, Pension Desk Officers and PFAs Have Key Roles

MDAs are required to upload details of eligible employees on the COBRA platform, after which affected employees are expected to visit their respective Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) with the required documents to complete the enrolment process.

Pension Desk Officers (PDOs), who have been trained by PenCom, coordinate the exercise within their organisations and guide employees through the process.

PenCom continues to collaborate with MDAs, PFAs and other stakeholders to improve awareness, facilitate participation and ensure that eligible employees are properly captured.

PenCom Urges Eligible Employees to Act

While the extension to 31 December 2026 provides additional time, PenCom has urged eligible employees and their respective MDAs not to delay completion of the process. All active employees of Federal Government Treasury-funded MDAs who were in service as at 30 June 2004 are covered by the accrued pension rights provisions.

PenCom therefore calls on all eligible employees and Treasury-funded MDAs to take full advantage of the extension and complete the enrolment exercise before the new deadline.

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