Retired Wing Commander and Security Expert, Musa Salmanu, has described the recent attack in Jos as a complex mix of religious, ethnic, economic, and political factors.
According to him, the violence reflects long-standing patterns in the Plateau, where disputes over resources, political influence, and historical tensions between settlers and indigenes have repeatedly erupted into clashes.
“The case with the Plateau is a mix of many things. It’s a mix of religion, ethnicity, and economic and political issues, all entangled to create a deep gap of mistrust between communities and expand those fault lines,” he said.
The security expert also noted that the recent attacks highlight clear lapses in intelligence and response rather than a lack of weaponry.
“When such things happen, the first thing you look at is whether there were signals. Were there lapses in terms of intelligence gathering or reaction? What were the tell-tale signs that something was amiss that someone did not pick up?
“When there is such an event, there is definitely a failure of intelligence. What I’m seeing in terms of security failure is the ability to get information, process it, and react. Regarding being better armed, I believe our armed forces are well-equipped to handle these types of security challenges,” he stated.
Adding, Salmanu explained that measures like curfews and motorcycle bans are often more symbolic than fully preventative.
“So there are measures, when such an incident happens, there are measures that are symbolic; there are those that actually have teeth. So let’s take a look at the immediate measures: impose a curfew, impose a ban on motorcycles, and so on. Because there is perhaps the identification that these people came on motorbikes, so you want to say now—first of all, curfew. Curfew is very disturbing because people suffer when there is a curfew. But the whole idea is that when you restrict movement when such incidents happen, tempers rise.”
Salmanu emphasised that state governments must translate words into action to effectively curb recurring violence.
“So state governments have to, in my own view, ensure that they walk the talk,” Salmanu stated.
Salmanu cautioned against immediately labelling perpetrators as “terrorists,” explaining that many of these violent incidents stem from local communal disputes where neighbors know each other.
“We always start labeling and say ‘terrorists.’ It gives it that identity that we don’t even know who it is sometimes. But some of these communal crises are done neighbor to neighbor. They know each other,” he revealed.
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