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The Plateau State Association USA President and public policy expert, Dr. Barth Shepkong, has called for a shift from reactive security measures to measurable accountability, saying Plateau State cannot continue to lose lives to recurring attacks.
Shepkong, in an opinion article titled “Enough: Plateau Cannot Keep Burying Its People,” said the state needs a security system capable of preventing attacks, protecting vulnerable communities, apprehending perpetrators and ensuring justice.
“There comes a point when recurring tragedy demands more than grief, condemnation, and emergency response. Plateau State has reached that point,” he said.
According to him, the focus should no longer be limited to how authorities respond after attacks, but should also examine whether institutions have the capacity to prevent violence and hold perpetrators accountable.
He said security effectiveness should be assessed through measurable outcomes, including intelligence gathering, response time, arrests, prosecution and conviction.
“These are not partisan questions. They are governance questions,” Shepkong stated.
He argued that the security chain must cover “Prevention, Response, Investigation, Prosecution, Justice, Prevention of Recurrence,” stressing that citizens have a right to demand answers whenever any part of the process repeatedly fails.
Shepkong also cautioned against attributing every security failure solely to the Plateau State Government, noting that principal federal security agencies remain under federal operational command.
However, he said the state government still has responsibilities in coordination, community intelligence, early warning systems, emergency preparedness and engagement with federal security institutions.
“Justice requires more than announcements. It requires credible investigations, lawful prosecution, and accountability grounded in evidence,” he said.
On recurring attacks, Shepkong described the pattern as “Killing, Condolences, Curfew, Political Argument, Silence, Another Killing,” warning that such a cycle must not become normal.
He said curfews and emergency deployments may sometimes be necessary, but stressed that containment after violence is different from prevention before violence.
“Plateau must move from a reactive security conversation to a preventive security culture. That transition requires measurable accountability,” he said.
The public policy expert also called for responsible civic leadership, urging traditional rulers, religious leaders, political actors, community organisations and youth groups to contribute to early warning, lawful intelligence sharing and the prevention of escalation.
He warned political actors against turning human suffering into partisan ammunition and urged citizens to resist interpreting every tragedy solely through ethnic, religious or political lenses.
“Grief has no ethnicity. A widow’s tears have no denomination,” Shepkong stated.
He said Plateau needs a new security standard anchored on intelligence before attacks, prevention before funerals, rapid response when communities are threatened, professional investigation, prosecution where evidence establishes responsibility, justice for victims and measurable accountability.
“Enough cannot remain the language of grief. It must become the language of action,” he said.
Shepkong concluded that the future of Plateau State should be built around security, justice and trust, rather than continued loss of lives.
“Plateau cannot keep burying its people. Enough must finally mean enough,” he said.
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