Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang has defended his decision to address a grieving crowd from an armored tank carrier (ATC) following the Palm Sunday massacre, describing it as a strategic security measure to gain height and visibility during a volatile situation.
Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang has clarified the circumstances surrounding his decision to address residents from an armored tank carrier (ATC) following the deadly Palm Sunday assault in Jos. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, April 3, 2026, the Governor explained that the tactical vehicle provided a strategic vantage point to communicate with a large and potentially volatile crowd while ensuring his safety. “From the height I stood, part of the reason they put me in the ATC was for me to gain height in order to address the crowd,” Mutfwang stated. He noted that once the residents recognized him, the atmosphere shifted from hostility to cooperation, allowing him to move closer to the community. “As I addressed the crowd and they were comfortable that I had arrived, that’s why they were saying, ‘come, come,’ assuring me that I could come and that there was no harm,” he added.
The Governor expressed deep frustration over the public portrayal of the event, accusing social media commentators of “mischief” for focusing on the military hardware rather than his humanitarian efforts. He argued that critics overlooked the significant amount of time he spent on the ground, physically interacting with the bereaved and assessing the carnage. “If not for mischief, why are people not focusing on where I spent 90 per cent of the time with the crowd, seeing the corpses, appealing to people, calming people?” he asked, lamenting how digital platforms can “take a small portion and misrepresent it completely.” Mutfwang emphasized that while he personally trusted the intentions of the grieving residents, his security detail had a professional obligation to mitigate risks during such an unstable period.
Reflecting on the timeline of the tragedy, Mutfwang revealed that he was in Abuja attending to high-level security consultations when news of the Sunday evening attack first filtered through. He explained that the urgency of his return was compounded by the fact that residents had initially refused to allow the evacuation of victims until the Governor arrived to witness the scene personally. “I was comfortable with the people. I knew the people were not going to harm me, but the security had to,” he remarked, describing the delicate balance between maintaining executive safety and providing the direct, physical consolation demanded by the community. As of Friday night, security agencies remain on high alert in the state capital to prevent further communal friction.
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