Renowned human rights lawyer and Chair of the Council on Global Affairs (CGoF), Prof. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, has faulted Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, over his recent comment blaming social media users for fuelling the attacks in Plateau State, insisting that the crisis in the State in its recent form dates back to 1994 long before the advent of Twitter (now X) and other social media platforms.
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Odinkalu’s pushback came in response to a viral statement credited to Governor Mutfwang, in which the Governor accused social media users of being responsible for the attacks happening in Plateau State and warned that what is sometimes put on social media is based on rumour rather than verified fact.
In a post on his official X handle, Prof. Odinkalu wrote:
“Governor @CalebMutfwang cannot find the perpetrators nor bring them to account. So, he is now blaming #SocialMedia for the problems on the Plateau?”
He added: “Let the records pls reflect that the crisis in the Plateau in its recent form dates back to 1994. That was before @twitter.”
By tracing the Plateau crisis back to 1994, the human rights lawyer punctured the suggestion that social media is the driver of insecurity in the State, pointing out that the conflict predates the existence of the very platforms the Governor accused of fuelling the attacks.
The Governor’s comments, which triggered Odinkalu’s reaction, were shared online by Somto Okonkwo (@General_Somto) and captioned: “Fulani Killings: ‘Those Of You On Social Media Are The Ones Fueling The Attacks Happening In Plateau State.’ ~ Governor Caleb Mutfwang.”
In the comments, Governor Mutfwang said:
“We have never suggested anywhere that any incident should be swept under the carpet. We keep accurate data of all the attacks. But many of you that are in a hurry to put it on social media, you are destroying these things. And sometimes you put on social media what you had as a rumor.”
He continued: “You don’t know the lies you put in danger sometimes with what you put on social media. We need to be careful. We need to be careful. I appeal to our media people, we have nothing to hide. But all our media people, you need to be more responsible.”
The Governor went further to allege the existence of a deliberate plan against the State:
“There is a deliberate plan to demarcate Plateau State and to tell the world that Plateau State is not anywhere that anybody should visit. But let me reassure Nigerians and the world that Plateau still remains the home of peace and tourism. Nobody will take that away from us.”
The Plateau crisis, which has resulted in repeated cycles of violence in parts of the State including Jos, Bokkos, Mangu, Barkin Ladi, Bassa, and Riyom Local Government Areas, has been a recurring source of concern for successive administrations in the State.
By pointing to 1994 as a reference date for the recent form of the crisis, Odinkalu underscored the fact that the conflict has historical, political, ethno-religious and land-related dimensions that long predate the rise of platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram and cannot, therefore, be reasonably attributed to social media.
The exchange has further sharpened the conversation around accountability for the recurring attacks in Plateau State, with critics insisting that the focus of government should be on identifying, arresting and prosecuting the perpetrators of the killings rather than apportioning blame to social media users and journalists who report or comment on the incidents.
Odinkalu’s intervention echoes a broader concern within civil society that the framing of insecurity as a media problem risks deflecting attention from the failure of state institutions to protect lives and bring perpetrators to justice.
As the Plateau crisis continues to generate national and international concern, the conversation triggered by Governor Mutfwang’s comments and Odinkalu’s sharp rebuttal is expected to shape public debate around the appropriate response of government to the recurring attacks in the State.
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