President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to visit Jos, the Plateau State capital, today, following the deadly attack that claimed 28 lives and left 22 injured.
The visit comes as the state slowly regains calm after the tensions that gripped the city on Wednesday.
In the wake of the violence, security has been tightened, as calm returns to the streets.
The President’s visit is expected to focus on supporting victims and assessing the security situation.
He had on Wednesday received Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Speaking through his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, the President condemned the attacks in Jos and a separate incident in Kahir village, Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State, where wedding guests were killed and abducted.
“Anyone who will sneak under the cover of the night and kill defenceless citizens as done in Jos and Kahir village is a heartless coward,” Tinubu had said on Monday.
While condemning the attacks, the President commended Mutfwang for his efforts in containing the situation in Jos and directed security agencies to intensify efforts to pursue the perpetrators.
He also cautioned sections of the media against suggesting that the attacks were religiously motivated, warning that such narratives could escalate violence.
Unidentified gunmen, reportedly riding on a motorcycle, had shot and killed at least 28 people in the area on Sunday.
A resident, who spoke to Channels Television via a phone call on condition of anonymity, said the attack occurred around the Anguwan Rukuba junction in the evening.
In the aftermath of the attack, angry youths reportedly blocked major roads within the community, raising fears of escalating tension.
The attack came weeks after no fewer than 20 security operatives and vigilantes were reportedly killed when heavily armed bandits ambushed a joint patrol team in Wanka and the surrounding communities of the Garga area in the Kanam Local Government Area of the state.
It also prompted the University of Jos to reschedule exams scheduled for March 30 and 31.
Tension erupted in Jos on Wednesday, just hours after the Plateau State Government eased the 48-hour curfew imposed following the deadly Sunday incident.
The situation triggered panic among residents, forcing traders who had earlier resumed business activities to abandon their shops and flee to safety.
Worried by the security situation, students of the University of Jos were on Wednesday directed to vacate their hostels.
In a statement issued by the Deputy Registrar, Information and Public Relations, Emmanuel Madugu, the Vice Chancellor, Tanko Ishaya, ordered the immediate evacuation of students from hostels as a precautionary measure.
“The Vice Chancellor has directed the immediate evacuation of students from the university hostels in view of the general security situation and the near chaotic scenarios witnessed in areas close to the university,” the statement said.
The university management noted that the situation, which unfolded on Wednesday, heightened tension and posed a potential threat to students, necessitating urgent intervention.
To facilitate the exercise, the Plateau State Government under Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang has provided transportation services for students, with approval for movement even during curfew hours.
“The evacuation is being facilitated by the Executive Governor of Plateau State, who has provided transport services fully authorised to operate within the curfew hours,” the statement added.
According to the schedule released, students residing within Jos and its environs were to be evacuated starting from Wednesday afternoon, while those whose parents or guardians live outside the city are scheduled for evacuation from Thursday morning.
But the state government has urged residents to remain vigilant but optimistic as efforts for peace continue.
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