Outrage over Tinubu's visit to Plateau attack victims at Jos Airport instead of homes

Anger has greeted the parade of Plateau state terrorism victim at the Jos Airport instead of their Rukuba homes in the outskirts of the state capital.

Tinubu had travelled to Plateau state on Thursday to console with the victims of the attack where over 28 persons were killed by suspected terrorists.

But instead of the President going into the villages of the victims, they were brought from their homes and kept at Jos Airport for several hours waiting to shake hands with President Tinubu.

Consequently, Nigerians have expressed outrage at the president's behavior, saying that the Nigeria leader did not show sympathy on the victims by refusing to go to the attack spot, but hurried back to Abuja, spending less that one hour in Plateau state.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar criticised the visit as insensitive.

“It is both shocking and deeply insensitive that several days after the gruesome killings of innocent citizens, the President’s so-called ‘on-the-spot assessment’ was reduced to a brief stop at the foot of his aircraft, never extending beyond the airport, never reaching the grieving communities, and never touching the pain of the victims,” Atiku said in a statement by his aide, Phrank Shaibu.

He added that the visit had been hurriedly curtailed to allow Tinubu to proceed to Lagos for the Easter holidays, describing it as “a decision that reflects a deeply troubling prioritisation in the face of national grief.”

However, the Presidency defended Tinubu’s decision to meet victims at the airport, citing flight restrictions and logistical constraints as the reasons for the arrangement.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Friday, said the runway at the airport does not support night flights due to the absence of navigational aids, making it impossible for Tinubu to visit Rukuba, drive back to the airport and depart before dusk.

“Upon arrival in Jos, the visit encountered some logistical challenges. While the road distance from the airport to Jos township is approximately 40 minutes, the runway does not support night flights due to the absence of navigational aids. The constraints made it unfeasible to drive into town, meet victims for on-the-spot assessment and return to the airport before dusk.

“Consequently, state and federal officials decided to bring representatives of the affected community to a hall adjoining the airport so the President could meet with them promptly while adhering to flight restrictions,” the statement read.

The visit came days after gunmen attacked the Angwan Rukuba district of Jos North Local Government Area on Palm Sunday, killing at least 28 people in one of the deadliest outbreaks of violence in the state in recent years.

The Presidency also explained the delay in Tinubu’s departure for Jos, saying his itinerary for Thursday had included receiving Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno at the Presidential Villa for a bilateral meeting on security cooperation.