More than 3,000 villagers in Gyanbwus, Mangu local government area of Plateau State within the week benefited from a free medical outreach and feeding programme organized by Operation Safe Haven, the Special Task Force maintaining law and order in Plateau State.

 

The initiative was in collaboration with the Civil-Military Relief Initiative aimed at appreciating the people of the community who, the taskforce said, have cooperated with its personnel in the arrest of criminals and mopping of arms.

 

Commander of the taskforce, Major General Augustine Agundu said the establishment of a Forward Operation Base (FOB) in Gyambwus, sometime last year, had reduced drastically the security challenges in the area especially cattle rustling.

 

General Agundu, who was represented by the OPSH Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Mohammed Bello, stated that, “it will interest you to know that from September 2018 to date, there have not been any cattle rustling between Mangu and Barkin Ladi. The basis of selecting communities for the medical outreach is on security consideration and also communities that have been cooperative with the taskforce.”

 

He said the services rendered at the medical outreach included laboratory services,  consultations and diagnosis, drugs and de-worming of children.

 

On his part, Chairman of the Civil-Military Initiative, Chuwang Pam, who was represented by his wife, Grace Pam, said Gyambwus community could serve as a model for other communities by portraying that people can maintain peace despite their differences in tribe and religion.

 

Pam, who visited Gyambwus with the President of a US based foundation; Latec Lighthouse Education Foundation, Cherokee Webb said: “our religion is a choice not what you can superimpose on your neighbours, everyone reserves the right to serve their God in peace but where people begin to infringe on each other’s rights, there is bound to be conflict.”