A former Director of Operations, Army Headquarters, Maj-Gen. Garba Wahab (Rtd), has said the recent attack in Plateau State by gunmen leading to the death of over 27 people, is politically motivated.
Monday’s attack was about the third in Nkiedonwhro community, Bassa Local Government Area of the state, after the state government imposed the indefinite dusk-to-dawn curfew.
Speaking to Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday, the retired general said, “It is politics. Whoever is the winner of a political contest takes over and is the one who disburses whatever.
“And all of us are political animals, whatever you are. The political issue is involved, and the election is coming, 2019 is nearby. So those who have been keeping quiet are now coming out to release those youths.
“Some of these things are political issues. But one thing you need to realise is that, when you want to solve a problem, you need to analyse where that problem really is. Politically, for those who are political theorists, there is this belief that you have two kinds of problems – Issues that are interest based and value-based issues.
Mr Wahab further explained that the problem inherent in Plateau State, borders on the economy, which according to him, is an interest-based problem.
“Those that are interest-based are based on the economy, which is part of the problem in Plateau. Now we have allowed that, that can be easily solved through negotiation, coercion and persuasion to move to the political and social realm.
“The political and social problems are very difficult to solve because they are value-based. We grow up with value-added situations, and so to remove those values becomes problematic. So we have added politics into the whole thing.”
Mr Wahab’s comments come after a former Member of Parliament, Senator Timothy Adudu, expressed a similar view.
Read Also: Plateau Killings Has Political Undertone, Says Adudu
Speaking to Channels Television on Wednesday, the Senator explained that the issues are largely political.
“But I will say that the major, fundamental cause that has ignited this thing always, to my mind, is purely political, that we do not play politics with maturity.
“We are not matured enough in our approach to politics. People easily, when it comes to issues of politics, adopt every means necessary whether it is fear or foul,” he added.
