Tinubu Orders 5,000 Surveillance Cameras for Plateau After Palm Sunday Attack, Deploys 850 Soldiers

President Bola Tinubu has directed the immediate installation of over 5,000 networked surveillance cameras across Plateau State to help security agencies identify and track perpetrators of violence. The President announced this on Thursday during a town hall meeting with political and traditional leaders at the Yakubu Gowon Airport in Heipang, near Jos.

The visit came days after a Palm Sunday attack in the Angwan Rukuba district claimed 28 lives. During the meeting, Tinubu consoled a grieving mother, Mrs Rhoda, whose son Ayuba was killed in the attack. He acknowledged that no amount of money could compensate the victims but promised government support.

The President also ordered security chiefs, including the Inspector-General of Police and the Chief of Defence Staff, to uncover and arrest those responsible for the killings. He announced the formation of a committee to assess victims’ losses and provide compensation.

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, disclosed that he had lost family and friends to the Jos crisis while a student there in 2001. He promised to deploy artificial intelligence-enabled cameras across the state, starting with Jos, to enhance real-time monitoring and rapid response.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army deployed over 850 additional troops to Plateau State to reinforce ongoing operations under Operation Enduring Peace. The troops, drawn from formations in Abuja and Kaduna, were tasked with protecting lives and property and restoring law and order.

Former Governor Jonah Jang, speaking on behalf of Plateau elders, called for sustained federal intervention and renewed the call for state police. He alleged that over 160 communities had been destroyed and occupied by armed groups, and expressed concern that suspects transferred to Abuja often faced little accountability.

The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, commiserated with the government and people of Plateau over the attack. Governor Caleb Mutfwang recalled that the security problem predated his administration and announced stricter enforcement of a ban on commercial motorcycles often used for criminal activities.

In a somber development, a final-year university student, Makburi Fredrick-Gapsiso, who was shot on his way home after Palm Sunday worship, was buried in Jos on Thursday. His aunt recounted that he had visited a friend in Angwan Rukuba before the attack.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar criticised President Tinubu’s condolence visit, describing it as disconnected from the plight of ordinary Nigerians.

He said the President’s assessment was reduced to a brief stop at the airport without reaching grieving communities, and accused the government of converting a solemn visit into a political spectacle.