Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has revealed that the perpetrators of the recent deadly attack in Jos capitalised on the community’s sense of security by disguising themselves as operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), enabling them to strike with devastating effect.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, the governor disclosed that the attackers had carefully studied the behaviour and psychology of residents before executing the assault, which left many dead and others injured.
According to Mutfwang, the assailants adopted tactics commonly associated with NDLEA raids, including wearing hoods and firing in a similar pattern, thereby misleading residents into believing it was a routine anti-drug operation.
“As a matter of fact, the community was blindsided. The security personnel were also caught off guard because of the relative peace we have enjoyed, particularly in the last 10 months to one year,” the governor said.
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He explained that the attackers took advantage of the calm atmosphere in the state, striking at a time when residents had gathered, as is customary, to relax on a Sunday evening.
“Obviously, the attackers had studied the psychology of the people, who are used to seeing operatives of the NDLEA who come to raid neighbouring communities in search of drug addicts and what have you. So they came in that manner, hooded, and were shooting in the same way as NDLEA officers operate,” he added.
The governor noted that the deception initially prevented any resistance from residents, who assumed it was a legitimate security operation. By the time the true nature of the attack became clear, significant damage had already been done and the attackers had fled the scene.
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“People initially assumed it was an NDLEA operation and did not resist, but when they realised what was happening, a lot of damage had already been done. By the time they began to respond, the attackers had already escaped,” Mutfwang said.
Describing the incident as both “unfortunate and worrisome,” the governor expressed concern that such a coordinated attack could occur within the city centre despite recent improvements in security.
However, he maintained optimism that the incident would not become a recurring trend.
“It’s quite unfortunate. It’s quite worrisome, having such an incident occur in the city centre, but we are confident that by God’s grace this will be a one-off event and not a recurring situation,” he stated.
The attack has raised fresh concerns about security vulnerabilities in Plateau State, particularly the ability of criminal elements to exploit public trust in law enforcement operations.
