The Presidency and the Plateau State Government have explained the circumstances that shaped President Bola Tinubu’s and Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s interactions with victims and residents following the recent deadly attack in Jos, pointing out that logistics and security limited their abilities to interact with people.

At least 28 people were killed in Sunday’s attack in Jos North Local Government Area, prompting heightened public emotion and scrutiny over official responses in the aftermath.

President Tinubu visited the state on Thursday to meet victims and reassure residents of steps being taken to prevent further attacks. However, his decision to receive representatives of the affected community in a hall adjoining the Jos airport, rather than travel into the city, generated mixed reactions, particularly on social media.

In a statement on Friday, the presidential spokesman, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, said the President’s schedule had been affected by a prior bilateral meeting with the Chadian leader, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, at the Presidential Villa.

“The President of Chad was at the Presidential Villa for a very important bilateral meeting focused on strengthening security collaboration between the two countries. The meeting ran longer than expected, affecting President Tinubu’s scheduled departure for Jos,” he stated.

Mr. Onanuga further explained that the runway at Yakubu Gowon Airport does not support night flights due to the absence of navigational aids. This, he noted, made it impossible for the President to travel into the city, visit Rukuba, return 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 an 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.

According to Mr. Onanuga, the President had initially planned to travel to Iperu, Ogun State, but suspended the trip after being briefed by Governor Mutfwang on the security situation in Plateau.

“President Tinubu’s itinerary for Thursday included two main engagements: receiving the Chadian President and proceeding to Iperu, Ogun State. After Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s briefing, President Tinubu suspended the trip to Ogun.

“Overnight, the Presidential Villa made arrangements for the visit to Jos, with presidential assets quickly deployed. However, the President could not postpone the scheduled visit by the Chadian leader,” he added.

During the visit, the President consoled a woman seen in a viral video holding her dead son after the attack.

“I know your pain; I saw in the video how you held on to your son and felt the agony in your heart.

“Only God can give you joy and comfort. No amount of money can compensate for your loss. As a government, we will do our best to support and comfort you,” he told her.

He also announced that at least 5,000 surveillance cameras would be deployed to improve security.

Meanwhile, Governor Mutfwang addressed public speculation over a viral video that showed him speaking to a tense crowd from the top of an armoured personnel carrier shortly after the attack.

Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television on Friday, the governor said the decision was guided by security considerations and the need to communicate effectively with residents during a volatile moment.

“From the height I stood, part of the reason they put me in the APC was for me to gain height in order to address the crowd,” he explained.

The governor dismissed suggestions that he had been under threat, insisting that his interaction with the crowd was largely peaceful.

“As I addressed the crowd and they were comfortable that I had arrived, that’s why they were saying, ‘come, come,’ assuring me that I could come and that there was no harm,” he said.

“Therefore, it was easy for the security personnel to accept my insistence on moving into the crowd.”

He argued that short clips circulated on social media failed to capture the full scope of his engagement at the scene.

“If not for mischief, why are people not focusing on where I spent 90 per cent of the time with the crowd, seeing the corpses, appealing to people, calming people?” he said.

“You could see that social media can take a small portion and misrepresent it completely.”

Mr. Mutfwang disclosed that he had been in Abuja attending official engagements, including the APC National Convention and high-level security consultations, when news of the incident broke.

“I was in Abuja, you remember, at the back of the APC National Convention, and then I had a very high-level security consultation on Sunday evening with some of the top security chiefs,” he said.

Despite a tight schedule, including a planned Northern Governors’ Forum meeting, he arranged to return to Jos early the following morning after a plane was made available by the presidential air fleet.

“As early as 7 a.m., the presidential air fleet released a plane for me to return home. I wanted to drive straight to the scene because the crowd had said unless they see the governor, they are not going to allow those corpses to be evacuated,” he stated.

He added that security concerns were heightened by the presence of individuals suspected of attempting to incite unrest in the neighbourhood, some of whom had previously been targeted during operations by the NDLEA.

Even so, the governor said he insisted on being physically present at the scene.

“The security personnel have a duty to protect me, and if they assess that the situation is hostile, they have a duty to protect me,” he said.

“I could have stayed back until the whole thing had calmed down, but I insisted on going to the scene.”

He expressed gratitude to the people of Plateau State for their trust and reaffirmed his commitment to stand with them in difficult moments.

“I want to thank Plateau people for the level of trust and confidence they have reposed in me, which I have vowed never to betray,” he said.