A coalition of indigenous youth organisations in Plateau State has strongly defended ongoing joint operations by the Department of State Services, the Mobile Police Force, and Operation Rainbow, declaring that the security agencies are performing vital work to protect vulnerable local communities from violent attacks.
​The coalition made the declaration on Wednesday during a press briefing at the Nigeria Union of Journalists Press Centre in Jos, where leaders representing various ethnic youth bodies across the state’s three senatorial zones addressed media representatives on the state of security in the region.
​Speaking on behalf of the coalition, the Chairman of the group and President of the Irigwe Youths Movement, Ambassador Ezekiel Peter Bini, alongside the Northern Zone Coordinator and President of the Berom Youths Moulder-Association, Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, Esq., formally rejected a recent petition and viral video campaign alleging operational bias and misconduct by state security forces.
​The youth leaders argued that the allegations form part of a coordinated campaign designed to mislead President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, weaken local security efforts, and demand the removal of the Plateau State Director of the Department of State Services, Mr. Paul Damian.
They noted that the smear campaign aims to undermine recent security breakthroughs, including the arrest of high-profile criminal leaders such as Ardo Mahmoud Adams, while disrupting collaboration between statutory security agencies and community-based volunteers.
​”As far as the coalition of Plateau youths is concerned, there is incontrovertible evidence that the DSS, Mobile Police Force, and Operation Rainbow’s operations are effective, on track, and yielding significant results,” Mwantiri stated. “The coalition’s position is firm: protect the people, confront criminality.”
​The press statement was jointly endorsed by leadership across the state, including Ambassador Miri Timnan Nyantau of the Tarok Progressive Youths Association representing the Southern Zone, and Jonathan Kyesmang Yusuf of the Mwaghavul Youth Movement representing the Central Zone.
The coalition called on the Federal Government and military high command to ignore calls for the withdrawal of personnel, urging continued support for security operations aimed at safeguarding vulnerable rural populations across Plateau State.
