President Bola Tinubu met with victims of the Jos attacks at Yakubu Gowon Airport on Sunday, a move the presidency defended on Friday. The attacks occurred in Angean Rukuba, where multiple people were killed. Rather than visiting the attack site, Tinubu received survivors at the airport before departing for an earlier scheduled engagement with the Chadian President at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa. The presidency stated that the airport meeting allowed the president to express condolences and receive firsthand accounts without delaying his official duties. No security officials or local leaders were mentioned as being present at the airport gathering. The administration emphasized that Tinubu remains fully briefed on the situation in Jos and is monitoring developments. Security forces have not released casualty figures or identified any suspects.
Meeting attack victims at an airport terminal, not the site of bloodshed, signals a detachment that elites often display in times of crisis. Tinubu's choice to prioritise a meeting with the Chadian President over a visit to Angean Rukuba may reflect diplomatic priorities, but it underscores how remote the presidency can seem to ordinary Nigerians in distress. When leaders handle grief like a scheduled handshake between state functions, public trust erodes further. This moment will not change security policy in Plateau State.
