Plateau Killings: Tinubu Deploys Peace Envoy for Community Dialogue

President Bola Tinubu has deployed his Senior Special Assistant on Community Engagement (North Central), Dr Abiodun Essiet, to Plateau State as part of renewed efforts to restore peace and rebuild inter-communal trust in the troubled state.

The visit, which lasted two days, involved meetings with Christian clerics, Fulani community leaders, traditional rulers, youth groups and women’s organisations across several council areas.

Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

According to the statement, Essiet’s engagements culminated in a town hall meeting in Jos, where delegates from multiple local government areas gathered to discuss practical steps to strengthen community-based peace structures and promote coexistence.

She held a strategic meeting with Rev Ezekiel Dachomo, Chairman of the Regional Church Council (RCC) in Barkin Ladi. Their discussions focused on the role of faith leaders in promoting unity, social development and long-term peace.

Dachomo, known as one of the strongest voices of Christian communities in Plateau, also joined Essiet in addressing a group of widows, where she conveyed the President’s message of ethnic reconciliation and healing.

Essiet also met with Fulani leaders in Barkin Ladi to encourage dialogue between farming and pastoralist communities. Onanuga said the meeting reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to “inclusive engagement” in conflict-prone areas.

Later, she facilitated a workshop on establishing community peace structures across the 17 local government areas of Plateau State.

Her peace tour also included a closed-door session involving the Irigwe community, Miyetti Allah representatives, and the Youth Council of Bassa LGA, where discussions centred on sustaining ongoing peace efforts.

The groups examined how the existing 17-member peace committee could further strengthen dialogue, reconciliation and coexistence between communities that have endured years of tension.

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The presidential aide reportedly emphasised President Tinubu’s “unwavering commitment” to peace, unity and inclusive governance.

She said the Community-Based Peace Structure remains a vital tool for grassroots engagement, conflict resolution and long-term stability across the North Central region.