The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Plateau State has called for an investigation into the alleged delayed response of security agencies to attacks in parts of the state, with sanctions for personnel found culpable.
The association also demanded greater control of security operations by state governments and the prosecution of perpetrators and sponsors of terrorism, warning that recurring attacks had undermined public confidence in the government’s ability to protect lives and property.
Chairman of the NBA, Jos Branch, Morgan Dung, made the demands while reading a joint statement at a press conference by NBA branches in Plateau State at the NUJ Secretariat in Jos on Monday.
Dung said the continued violence in Mangu, Barkin Ladi, Riyom and Bokkos Local Government Areas raised serious constitutional and governance concerns.
He cited Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which guarantees fundamental rights, particularly Section 33, which provides for the right to life.
According to him, the protection of lives and property is the most fundamental responsibility of government, adding that the NBA condemned what it described as the inability of authorities to prevent the continued loss of lives and property in Plateau State and Nigeria.Nigeria Business Law
“The Nigerian Bar Association condemns in the strongest terms the gruesome and sustained attacks carried out on citizens on daily basis across Plateau State, with the most recent occurring in Mangu, Barkin Ladi, Riyom, and Bokkos Local Government Areas of the State, which has left in its trail undesirable results,” he said.
Dung said the attacks demonstrated what the association considered insufficient commitment to the constitutional responsibility of protecting citizens.
He added that the continued violence by non-state actors had undermined the social contract and weakened public confidence in the state.
The NBA expressed particular concern that terrorists had continued to attack communities despite the imposition of curfews in affected areas.
It said community vigilantes in Kikyau village, Mangu Local Government Area, were killed at their duty post during curfew hours, while similar incidents had been reported in Kantoma and Bin-Per villages in Mangu, as well as Kassa, Wereh, Ropp, Fan and Marit districts in Barkin Ladi.
The association described the development as a threat to law and order, saying the continued attacks created an impression of impunity and raised questions about the effectiveness of the state’s security response.
The lawyers further alleged that some communities in Plateau State had been displaced over the years, with their lands allegedly taken over, occupied and renamed by invaders, leaving survivors displaced.Find a Lawyer
On the Federal Government’s response, the NBA commended President Bola Tinubu for his recent visit to Plateau State to condole with residents following killings in Jos North Local Government Area.
It also welcomed the President’s initiative towards the creation of state police and his proposal for Nigerians to receive security training, as recently suggested by the Minister of Defence.
However, the association urged the Federal Government to go further by sponsoring an Executive Bill to the National Assembly to place security fully under the Concurrent Legislative List.
This, it said, would give state governors greater operational control over security apparatus in their respective states, rather than leaving them with the title of Chief Security Officers without corresponding control over commanders and personnel.
The NBA said the existing chain of command had not produced the desired results in view of recent security developments across the country.
It called for the Armed Forces and paramilitary agencies to be adequately motivated, equipped, patriotic and disciplined, while urging measures to address allegations of bias and compromise in the discharge of security responsibilities in Plateau State.
The association also called for stronger border security and surveillance across transnational and international borders.
It cited Garga community in Kanam Local Government Area, which shares boundaries with Bauchi and Taraba states, as one of the communities affected by attacks from bandits and other criminal elements.
The NBA said some residents had allegedly attributed the insecurity to incursions by militias from Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Bauchi, Gombe and Taraba states, as well as the Republic of Niger.
The association also called on the government to degazette the forest around the Pai River Game Reserve, which it said had allegedly become a hideout for bandits, and replace it with a military formation to tackle terrorist activities around the Plateau, Bauchi and Taraba borders.
The lawyers commended the Plateau State Government for efforts to strengthen its security architecture, including the revamping of Operation Rainbow and the Neighbourhood Watch.
They also acknowledged the recent training of 2,000 Neighbourhood Watch and Hunters personnel, as well as the procurement of security vehicles, including gun trucks, conventional trucks and motorcycles for patrol operations.
The NBA called for the establishment of a Command and Central Centre in Jos to monitor satellite centres and recommended the creation of a state committee to work on the establishment of a Plateau State Police Service in support of the Federal Government’s efforts.
It further urged the state government to facilitate the licensing of Operation Rainbow and Neighbourhood Watch personnel to operate kinetic facilities under the supervision of frontline security agencies deployed to the Operation Rainbow command.
The association called for an amendment to the Plateau State Operation Rainbow law to accommodate the proposal and other security strategies, as well as the implementation of the provisions of the Plateau State Anti-Land Grabbing Law.Nigerian Law Library
On local government and community responses to insecurity, the NBA called for stronger coordination, intelligence gathering and greater presence of local government authorities within their areas of jurisdiction.
It urged local government chairmen to reside in their respective areas of authority to improve governance and coordination with the state government.
The association also encouraged communities to coordinate intelligence gathering and exercise their right to self-defence against non-state actors, while warning citizens against spreading unverified information, making inflammatory comments or taking the law into their own hands.
It urged traditional rulers to protect the property of their subjects, monitor the movement of unidentified persons within their communities and report suspicious activities to local government authorities.
On the role of security agencies, the NBA demanded a review of operational deployments and an investigation into alleged delays in responding to attacks.
It said security agencies must confront kidnapping, banditry, land grabbing, terrorism and other criminal activities while working to restore public confidence.
The lawyers also raised concerns over the alleged relocation of security vehicles procured through state government interventions from flash points in rural communities to the state headquarters.
“We demand their immediate relocation to combat insecurity in real time,” the NBA said.
The association called on uniformed security agencies to strengthen control over the production and distribution of military uniforms, ammunition and other accoutrements to prevent criminal elements from impersonating security personnel.
It also demanded the arrest and prosecution of individuals involved in impersonating security personnel and called for the removal of erring officers from the system.
The NBA specifically demanded an investigation into reports of security agencies arriving at attack scenes after assailants had withdrawn, saying officers found culpable should be sanctioned.
It also called for regular redeployment of security personnel who had spent extended periods in particular communities, in line with security practices intended to prevent excessive familiarity and possible compromise.
On the justice system, the NBA called for the speedy determination of terrorism-related cases and greater transparency in the prosecution of alleged sponsors and perpetrators of terrorism.
It said terrorism cases should be handled within defined timelines to expedite trials and convictions in accordance with the law.
The association also urged lawyers who contribute to delays in the administration of justice through unethical conduct to comply with professional rules and face sanctions where appropriate.
The NBA further called for the publication of the outcomes of trials involving identified sponsors and other actors in terrorism before judicial and quasi-judicial bodies, saying this would help strengthen public confidence in the justice system.
The association said it would deploy the expertise of its members in criminal law, constitutional law, human rights, public interest litigation, alternative dispute resolution and legal aid to support lawful and sustainable responses to insecurity in Plateau State.
It said it would work with government institutions, security agencies, civil society organisations, traditional institutions and affected communities to promote access to justice, preserve credible evidence of atrocities, strengthen strategic litigation and pursue appropriate legal mechanisms for accountability.
The NBA also pledged to support efforts to identify, investigate and prosecute individuals who finance, sponsor, facilitate or otherwise aid terrorism and other violent crimes where sufficient evidence exists.
It said it would advocate for the protection of witnesses and victims, legal support for vulnerable and displaced persons, and institutional reforms aimed at preventing impunity and a recurrence of violence.
The association maintained that the recurring attacks posed a threat to public confidence, national cohesion and the rule of law.
It said every Nigerian, regardless of status, ethnicity, religion or location, had a right to life and security, adding that failure to guarantee those rights would weaken public confidence, national cohesion and the rule of law.