From Ron Jacob, Jos
Some aggrieved Plateau indigenes on Sunday are gloating over the attack on Governor Simon Lalong, who was stoned on Saturday when he visited the IDPs Camp at Geo-Science, Anguldi in Jos South Local Government of the state.
Lalong had visited the IDP camp, which has about 9, 661 IDPs, in company with an entourage including commissioners and Special Advisers (SAs), but were shocked by both the IDPs and people living around the area as they stoned them out of the camp.
Sympathizers who spoke on the incident said the Governor deserved the ill-treatment meted on him by his own subjects having failed them in their times of need.
“We are disappointed with our Governor as to how he handled the attacks on us on June 24.
“Since the incident happened, he never deemed it fit to visit us and feel what we were feeling then only yesterday, Saturday, almost a month after.
“In fact , Lalong is the problem of Plateau because of the way he has been romancing with the powers that be in Abuja yet he can’t defend his people from these incessant attacks’’, one Mrs Talatu asserted.
To Mr. Gyang what was done to the Governor was just to let him know that Plateau were not happy with how he handled the crisis.
According to him, “we expected him (Lalong) to have taken the President and his Vice and other dignitaries that visited him to commiserate with us to the very villages attacked by the herdsmen to see the level of damage done to us but he didn’t’’.
“We felt so offended and pained by that action more so that the Airport which they came through and left is just a stone throw from Gashish District in Barkin Ladi.
“How in heaven sake is it that our own Governor could (only) care a month after the incident to visit us and see the very terrible situation we have found ourselves in; he is not serious at all’’, he narrated.
Another woman, who preferred not to be named, said, “good for him; in fact, he (Governor) was lucky that he escaped with just damage on vehicles on his entourage.’’
Contacted, a PDP Chieftain, Chief Alexander Mwolwus, said even though it was not a good omen for the people of the state to stone their own leader and Governor, it was wrong of Him (Lalong) to have taken such a long time before visiting the victims.
Mwolwus said that what was expected of the Governor in the heat of the crisis he didn’t do, which surprised and angered a lot of people in the state.
“We expected him to have first visited the scenes of the massacre the next day, Monday June 25 in company of the Vice President, who first visited and subsequently with the President and other dignitaries that came to see the level of damage done to the state.
“Anyway, what happened to him on Saturday is but a clear message to him to amend and for the good and peace of the state, which seems to be under serious siege,’’ Mwolwus explained.
Recall that the attack of June 24 on Gashish district left well over 200 dead while about 38,051 persons have been displaced and taken refuge in 31 different IDPs Camp in Mangu, Barking Ladi, Riyom, Bokkos and Jos South Local Governments.