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We’ll Dominate Ungoverned Spaces to Keep the Festive Season Safe” — GOC Assures Communities
Stakeholders Laud Security Gains as GOC 3 Division Hosts Meeting Ahead of Harvest and Yuletide Season
Stakeholders across Plateau State and adjoining communities have commended recent security improvements and explored fresh strategies to sustain stability during the upcoming harvest period and Yuletide celebrations.
This came during a one-day stakeholders’ meeting convened on Wednesday, 26 November 2025, by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Division and Commander Operation ENDURING PEACE (OPEP), Major General Folusho Oyinlola, at Maxwell Khobe Cantonment, Jos.
The engagement drew participants from frontline LGAs in Plateau, Kaduna, and Bauchi States, including Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Bokkos, Jos North, Mangu, Riyom, Wase, Sanga, and Kafanchan. Government officials, traditional rulers, religious leaders, security agencies, and community-based organisations were also in attendance.
In his opening remarks, Major General Oyinlola described the meeting as a timely effort to reinforce collaborative approaches to security. He noted that previous engagements contributed to a marked reduction in farm destruction, cattle rustling, and other criminal activities threatening peace across the region.
The GOC highlighted the impact of OPEP’s non-kinetic interventions — community dialogues, youth engagement, and peace mediation — which he said have strengthened community policing and enhanced local security networks. He explained that the theme of the meeting, “Strengthening Community Partnership for a Secure Harvest and Yuletide Season,” reflects OPEP’s commitment to developing resilient and inclusive peace structures.
Major General Oyinlola reported that troops had achieved significant successes in recent months, including the neutralisation of armed criminal elements in various parts of the Joint Operations Area. He assured residents that security forces would continue to dominate ungoverned spaces and swiftly counter any attempts to disrupt the festive period.
He urged traditional institutions, youth and women groups, and community leaders to intensify grassroots sensitisation, commending communities for reinforcing local security measures such as neighborhood watches, vigilante groups, and early-warning systems.
Representing Governor Caleb Mutfwang, the Special Adviser on Security and Coordinator of Operation RAINBOW, Brigadier General GG Shippi (rtd), commended the military and sister security agencies for their unwavering commitment to safeguarding lives and property. He reaffirmed the State Government’s resolve to support security operations until lasting peace is restored.
LGA representatives praised the improved security atmosphere while calling for sustained dialogue, reconciliation, and strengthened channels for engaging disputing groups. They also recommended the formation of additional community-based peace committees and the expansion of ongoing intervention efforts.
Stakeholders reiterated that peace remains essential for development and urged both authorities and residents to maintain open communication and prioritise conflict prevention.
Wednesday’s meeting follows a similar pre-farming-season engagement held earlier in the year, which contributed to a relatively peaceful planting period with minimal disruptions. To consolidate these gains, the GOC approved the expanded forum to ensure a secure harvest and harmonious festive season.
The session featured robust discussions, solution-driven exchanges, and renewed commitments to enhancing stability across the Joint Operations Area.
The 3 Division and Operation ENDURING PEACE reaffirmed their resolve to deepen community partnerships as Plateau State and neighbouring regions prepare for the Yuletide season.
Benue State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, has inaugurated the Tinubu/Alia 2027 Campaign Council as the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Benue begins preparations for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Alia in the 2027 general elections.
Alia said Nigeria and Benue State had no reason to look elsewhere, insisting that he was steadily delivering on his promises while President Tinubu was also making progress and providing relentless support to the state to regain its lost glory.
The Tinubu/Alia Campaign Council, which has Hon Citizen Richard Asema as Director-General, was inaugurated by the governor at IBB Square on Thursday. The event was followed by the commissioning of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Campaign Office at Wurukum, Makurdi.
Speaking during the occasion, Governor Alia charged members of the council to demonstrate unity, commitment and dedication, describing their appointments as a reflection of the confidence reposed in them by the party leadership and the people of Benue State.
The governor also urged party members in the state to put aside personal grievances, embrace reconciliation and work collectively towards securing victory for the APC in the forthcoming elections.
He described the Director-General, Citizen Asema, as an experienced political leader with the capacity to coordinate the campaign and deliver the desired result.
Highlighting his achievements in office, Governor Alia attributed the successes recorded by his administration in security, education, healthcare, infrastructure, agriculture and industrialisation to the cooperation and support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Government.
He particularly acknowledged federal interventions that had strengthened security operations and supported efforts to restore peace to previously troubled communities in the state.
The governor also listed the recruitment of 9,700 primary school teachers, improvements in public school infrastructure, regular payment of salaries and pensions, road construction and the establishment of agricultural processing facilities among the achievements of his administration.
He noted that the partnership between the state and the federal government had contributed significantly to these developments.
On infrastructure, the governor disclosed that efforts to connect all 23 local government areas of the state through road networks were nearing completion, with approximately 25 per cent of the work remaining.
He also cited the revival and completion of previously abandoned projects, including Taraku Mills, the International Conference Centre at IBB Square and the Cancer Centre at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, as evidence of his administration's commitment to continuity.
He promised that, if re-elected, he would concentrate on consolidating existing achievements rather than starting new projects from scratch.
According to the governor, his administration remained committed to implementing its development blueprint since assuming office in 2023 and would focus on sustaining ongoing initiatives, strengthening completed projects and ensuring that public investments delivered lasting benefits if re-elected in 2027.
In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sir Tersoo Kula, the governor further stated that industrialisation, agriculture and strategic investments in education, healthcare and commerce would remain central to his administration's determination to break the cycle of poverty and expand economic opportunities for the people.
He expressed confidence that Benue's enormous agricultural potential, coupled with its emerging oil and gas prospects, could provide the state with the resources needed to build a stronger economy and generate substantial internal revenue, thereby reducing its dependence on federal allocations.
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