On April 2, 2026, President Bola Tinubu visited Plateau State following the Palm Sunday attack in Angwan Rukuba that killed 28 people. He held a town hall meeting with political and traditional leaders at Yakubu Gowon Airport, Heipang, near Jos, where he announced the immediate installation of over 5,000 networked surveillance cameras across the state. Tinubu stated, "the Minister for Communication is here to give you assurance that we are going to install immediately a network of cameras that will help the law enforcement agencies to identify the troublemakers instantly, over 5,000 of those will be networked." Security agencies have deployed 850 additional soldiers to the area.
The President met Mrs Rhoda, a mourning mother seen in a viral video clutching the bloodied body of her son, Ayuba, who was killed in the attack. Addressing her directly, Tinubu said, "I know the pain. I see in the video how you buried your loved ones and the pain and agony in your heart. But it's only God who can give you joy and hope." He directed the Inspector-General of Police, Chief of Defence Staff, and Minister of Defence to apprehend those responsible. A committee will be formed to assess victims' losses, including the governor and Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, to determine compensation.
Labour Party's 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi criticised Tinubu for not visiting the massacre site, calling it a "complete absence of leadership." Obi noted that the President's previous visit to Benue State in June 2025 followed a similar pattern, stopping only at the Government House. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also condemned the visit, calling it "shocking and deeply insensitive" that Tinubu's assessment never reached the grieving communities.
Holding a town hall at an airport while victims bury their dead in Angwan Rukuba sends a clear message about whose pain counts. Tinubu's decision to stay at Yakubu Gowon Airport, despite visiting after a massacre that killed 28, mirrors Obi's criticism of a leadership style that prioritises optics over presence. When a president consoles grief from an aircraft tarmac, it reinforces the growing distance between power and the people it claims to serve. This isn't empathy—it's protocol dressed as compassion.
