By Taye Obateru
Amidst calls by some groups in the state for the Special Task Force, STF,  which maintaining security in Plateau State to be withdrawn over continued violence and alleged complicity of its members in some of the attacks, Commander of the force, Brigadier General Hassan Umoru, has said that only the Federal Government could determine when they should leave.

Speaking to journalists, yesterday, he said the mandate of the task force to restore peace was yet to be accomplished and they would leave only when this had been achieved.

While acknowledging calls from various quarters for the task force to be removed, he said the Defence headquarters and by extension, the Federal Government would not act on unsubstantiated allegations against the STF.

On discipline

Umaru said the STF would not spare any of its members found to be involved in any unprofessional conduct but stressed that hostility towards the soldiers such as hauling missiles at them or destroying their tents was not the best.

He hinted that a replacement of the soldiers currently serving on the task force was in the offing, adding, “people say we have over stayed here and that we should go, but I said we are at the point of rotation. New sets of troops are coming in to change the old ones. We need to rotate them so as to achieve good result in peace making and not to say we should leave the state at this stage.”

He described the attacks on his men as unwarranted, saying, “we are not the cause of violence in the state. We were sent to bring peace back to the state by the Federal Government and we will not withdraw on our own until the government asks us to do so and government will not dissolve us based on mere media reports.”

Challenges journalists

The commander urged journalists to partner the security agencies in the state to restore peace to the state by not publishing issues capable of worsening the tensed situation on ground.

There were protests by hundreds of women on Monday in Jos South Local Government Area and at Abattoir area of Jos by a group of youth, who decried the continued violence in the state despite the presence of the special task force.