Twelve suspects were arrested in Jos on Friday shortly after Jumat prayers for allegedly attempting to incite unrest in the Zololo area. Plateau State Police Commissioner Bassey Ewah confirmed the arrests, stating that the suspects, armed with sticks, tried to cross into the Nasarawa area but were intercepted by security forces. "They came out with sticks trying to cross over to the Nasarawa area, but we too charged," Ewah said, adding that the suspects would face prosecution. The operation followed heightened security measures after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's visit to the state on Thursday.
Four mobile police units and over 300 additional officers have been deployed across Plateau State, with joint patrols now being conducted by all security agencies. Ewah credited the increased manpower to directives from the Inspector General of Police and the president's recent visit. He described the Jumat prayers as peaceful but warned of ongoing threats from "merchants of conflict." The commissioner praised the Plateau State Government for its support and affirmed the police command's commitment to maintaining order.
Bassey Ewah's swift arrest of 12 suspects hours after prayers shows that preventive policing can work when resources are available. The sudden deployment of 300 officers and four mobile units following President Tinubu's visit raises a quiet but important question: why does it take a presidential trip for such reinforcements to arrive? If peace in Jos depends on high-level visits, then the security architecture is reactive, not reliable. For ordinary residents, stability should not be a temporary guest.
