Plateau would no longer tolerate taking law breakers to Abuja for prosecution- Attorney General

Daniel Dauda, Jos

The Plateau State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Barr. Philemon Daffi has said the state will no longer tolerate a situation whereby a culprit caught in any act of crime and criminality is taken to Abuja for prosecution.

“We won’t take that anymore. Everybody must be prosecuted in Plateau state because the offense was committed in Plateau. The evidence is in Plateau. The victims are in Plateau. There is no need to take anybody anywhere. So the prosecution must take place in Plateau State. That is our position and we are changing nothing about that”, Daffi stated.

He made the disclosure on Monday in Jos, at the continuation of ministerial press conference aimed towards giving score card of Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s administration performance.

The Plateau Commissioner of Justice was fielding questions concerning land grabbing and some of the culprits that were arrested in connection to 24th December, 2023, Christmas Eve genocide in Bokkos, Mangu and Barkin-Ladi local governments of Plateau state.

According to him, “We are ready to do what we must do on duty. So land grabbing there is already in place here. But to activate it you need the investigation report that must come to you in order to prosecute. So the frustration is not about prosecution.

“The frustration is about investigation. And I recall that at the airport I told the national security advisor that this is going to be the last time any Plateau, any person caught in Plateau over the matter of crisis that is taken to Abuja will be tolerated.”

In another development, the commissioner ministry of health, Dr. Cletus Shurkuk has lamented that Plateau specialist Hospital of recent have lost close to about 21 of their staff and Plateau Hospital management board also lost about 26 nurses in search of greener pastures in Abuja and other places, some due to retirement. Noting that, “we lost also about three doctors due to what we call Japa syndrome.”

“Since coming on board we took action in respect of most of the demands of Doctors and health workers and the Governor approved. One of those was the increment in the takehome for the doctors from 80% to 90%. And then there was an increment of 75% hazard allowance to the doctors as well as the healthcare workers in the state.”

The ministries that also reeled out their achievements includes; Tourism, culture and hospitality, science and technology, water resources and energy as well as ministry of environment, mineral development and climate change.