The military has warned Plateau residents against heeding the advice of the State’s Assembly who asked them to defend themselves from armed bandits that invade their communities at night and murder them in their sleep.
The military, through the Special Task Force, Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), said the resort to self-defence, which it claimed was akin to taking the law into their hands, was unacceptable.
The spokesman of the OPSH, Major Ishaku Takwa, said the calls for self—defence would escalate the security challenges bedevilling the state.
“We have noted several reports in the media by some highly placed individuals calling on law-abiding citizens of Plateau to resort to defending themselves in the face of the security challenges experienced in the state.
“We wish to assure the good people of the state that OPSH is committed to protecting lives and property of all.
“We have improved on our responses to distress calls and several attacks were prevented from happening lately.
“These successes were possible due to the trust and provision of timely and credible information from the good people of the state.
“We, therefore, urge law-abiding citizens of the state not take laws into their hands but to continue to provide us with such information to enable us to protect communities from attacks,’’ he stated.