The Senate has asked the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to conduct a thorough inquiry into the recent killings in Anguwan Rukuba, Jos North Local Government Area, Plateau State, that claimed the lives of at least 28 persons.
While lawmakers called for the culprits to be captured and prosecuted, the upper chamber decided to send a high-powered delegation, led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, to the affected towns to sympathize with the victims and the people of Plateau.
Senators Diket Plang (Plateau Central) and Dachung Mwadkon (Plateau North) introduced the resolutions on Tuesday, expressing grave worry about the deteriorating security situation in Kanam and Jos North Local Government Areas.
Leading the debate, Plang bemoaned that Plateau State, previously regarded as the “Home of Peace and Tourism,” had seen a revival of violence following years of relative calm.
He noted recent attacks in Kanam Local Government Area earlier in March, as well as a violent assault in Anguwan Rukuba on March 29, 2026, when villagers were going about their business.
According to him, the attacks appeared to be coordinated and targeted civilians in densely populated areas, raising concerns about escalating insecurity.
The Plateau senator also referred to a separate ambush in Kanam’s Garga axis, in which a joint security patrol team was attacked, resulting in casualties.
“Worthy of note is the fact that one of the challenges faced by security agencies is inadequate personnel, as the current data show a ratio of one policeman to 650 citizens, which is in opposition to the recommended United Nations standard. This needs to be escalated as a matter of urgency,” he said.
Senator Simon Lalong (Plateau South) also spoke, recalling similar violence during his tenure as Plateau governor, stating, “When I was governor, it happened like this. Several people died within fifty yards. “This time, it was Palm Sunday.”
Lawmakers expressed alarm about the crisis’s increasingly complicated character, highlighting its economic, ethnic, and religious implications.
They warned that the ongoing violence was displacing populations, affecting agricultural activity, and threatening food security.
The Senate emphasized that the primary responsibility of government is to protect lives and property, urging security agencies to take more proactive measures such as establishing permanent operational bases in high-risk areas and increasing intelligence and aerial surveillance to locate and dismantle criminal hideouts.
