Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State on Monday said residents of the state who have been victims of attacks by assailants will not continue on that part but will become victorious in no distant future.
He announced that the plan of his administration is to ensure that affected persons return to their ancestral homes.
Mutfwang stated this during the flagoff ceremony of the distribution of relief materials donated by the Victim Support Fund (VSF), in Jos the State Capital.
He said, “We are happy to receive these items, but let me say this, we will not continue to remain victims, we will become victors.
“This story must turn around, our plan and our desire is for our people to return to their ancestral homes.
“We don’t want to keep IDP camps, it is not in our plan to keep them.
According to him, “Whatever we need to do to get people back to their ancestral homes so that they can get prepared for the farming season; this is what we would do.
“But of course, before we get to that point, people must eat and live.
“And it is this filling of the gap by the VSF that we truly appreciate”, he stressed.
Earlier in her remarks, the Special Assistant, Programmes and Operations to the chairman VSF, Theophilus Danjuma, Tyosi Akerele-Ogunsigi, said the move was an immediate and direct response to the economic situation at hand.
“You recall what happened in Plateau State recently, with the killings in Mangu, Bokkos Barkin Ladi, Riyom, Bassa, Wase and many other communities, that were affected by all manners of violent attacks, that is definitely why we are here, at the instance of our chairman (Theophilus Danjuma) to quickly come and respond to the need of the people.
“We are also going to be doing a psychosocial support programme for victims of the attacks, because a lot of people have gone through traumatic experiences, as a result of the violent attacks.
“We are also going to be implementing peace-building initiatives and this entire intervention is to the tune of N250 million”.