Tinubu Seeks Forgiveness from Plateau Victims: “I Saw the Devastation”

President Bola Tinubu has asked for forgiveness from the families of victims of the March 2026 attacks in Angwan Rukuba, Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, for not visiting their communities during his previous trip to the state.

The appeal was made on Saturday during the All Progressives Congress North-Central presidential campaign rally at the Jos International Stadium, ValidViewNetwork reports.

THE APOLOGY

Tinubu was direct about the failure. “When I last visited the other time, I was limited to the airport. Forgive me if you didn’t see me in the hinterland,” he said. “But I saw the devastation; I got the report from the governor. I saw horror in the faces of our people”.

The March 29, 2026 attack on Angwan Rukuba left at least 20 people dead and many others injured . Tinubu had met with the affected families at the Jos Airport on April 2, but was criticised for not visiting the communities themselves.

His spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, said the visit was limited because of a scheduled meeting with the President of Chad .

THE PROMISE TO REBUILD

The President pledged to rebuild the affected communities and facilitate the return of displaced residents. “We will rebuild your communities, and we will bring you back to your community,” he said, promising to collaborate with Governor Caleb Mutfwang and other stakeholders.

He acknowledged that communal violence had devastated Plateau since 2001, claiming lives, destroying homes, and displacing communities.

“To every bereaved family, every home destroyed, every survivor, and everyone unable to return home, I offer my heartfelt condolences for your loss” .

THE SECURITY MEASURES

ADVERTISEMENT

Tinubu outlined the steps his administration had taken to address insecurity in the state. “I have directed all the security agencies to take decisive action and sustain peace and stability on the Plateau,” he said. “One thousand forest guards are undergoing training right now. You will feel them; you will see them. You will feel secure in your villages and communities”.

He also said surveillance cameras had been procured as promised. In April, he had ordered the deployment of 5,000 artificial intelligence-enabled cameras to combat insecurity.

THE CALL FOR UNITY

The President urged Plateau residents to embrace unity, saying differences in language and identity should not make them enemies.

“Living in different rooms and speaking different languages does not make us enemies of one another. We have to live together, we have to farm together, we have to build this Plateau and this country together”.

He also urged residents to collect their Permanent Voter Cards and use them to vote for the APC . “What we should be getting is prosperity, not havoc, not crisis. Our government is not elected to inflict wounds on one another or to bury people. We have to lift people up from penury to prosperity” .

WHY IT MATTERS

There is a word for what happened in Jos on Saturday, and it is not “apology.” It is “campaigning.” The President asked for forgiveness at a political rally, surrounded by party faithful, with the cameras rolling and the crowd cheering.

The families of the 20 people killed in Angwan Rukuba were not the audience. The voters of Plateau were.

That does not make the apology insincere. Tinubu acknowledged a failure, and he said he was sorry.

That is more than many Nigerian leaders have done. But it is also a political calculation.

Plateau is a state that has suffered enormously from insecurity, and the President needs its votes in 2027.

The promises to rebuild, to deploy 1,000 forest guards, to install surveillance cameras—these are the substance of governance, not the theatre of a rally.

If they are delivered, they will matter. If they are not, the apology will be remembered as another campaign promise that vanished after the ballots were counted.

The President has said he is sorry. The people of Plateau will decide whether to accept it. ValidViewNetwork reports.