By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang has explained why he addressed residents from an armoured tank carrier (ATC) following the deadly Palm Sunday attack in Jos, the state capital.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Mutfwang said his decision was guided by security concerns and the need to communicate directly with residents during a tense situation.
“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,” he said.
The governor explained that the ATC gave him a strategic advantage to communicate with a large, tense crowd while remaining visible and safe.
Mutfwang highlighted that once residents recognised him, they encouraged him to move closer, signaling their willingness to cooperate and remain calm.
“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.
“Therefore, it was easy for the security personnel to accept my insistence on moving into the crowd.”
The governor also expressed concern over how the event was portrayed online.
He criticized online narratives that emphasised the ATC rather than his direct efforts to console victims and address the community.
“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.
“You could see that social media can take a small portion and misrepresent it completely,” he noted.
Mutfwang emphasised that while he trusted the crowd, his security detail had a duty to assess risks and ensure his safety.
“I was comfortable with the people. I knew the people were not going to harm me, but the security had to,” he said.
“I was in Abuja, at the back of the APC National Convention, and then I had a very high-level security consultation on Sunday evening with some of the top security chiefs,” he said.
“We were discussing some of the things we need to do going forward when the news filtered that this had happened.”
Mutfwang noted the urgency in his response, explaining that residents insisted on his presence before allowing victims to be taken to safety.
He added, “As early as 7 a.m., the presidential air fleet released a plane for me to return home. I wanted to drive straight to the scene because the crowd had said unless they see the governor, they are not going to allow those corpses to be evacuated.”
“Around that neighbourhood, the NDLEA had been used to come and raid some of these drug addicts… and some of them had already gathered around the crowd trying to create a hostile scenario.”
“The security personnel have a duty to protect me, and if they assess that the situation is hostile… they have a duty to protect me,” he added.
Despite risks, Mutfwang stressed his commitment to being present for his people during a critical and traumatic event.
“I could have stayed back until the whole thing had calmed down, but I insisted on going to the scene,” the governor said, thanking Plateau residents for their trust.
He closed by expressing gratitude to the residents, promising to uphold the confidence they have in his leadership.
“I want to thank Plateau people for the level of trust and confidence they have reposed in me, which I have vowed never to betray,” he concluded.