By The9jaTREND
According to a video posted on YouTube by Channels TV, on Wednesday April 8, 2026, as Plateau State grapples with a fresh wave of violence, experts are pointing toward historical administrative decisions as the catalyst for decades of communal friction.
The Special Envoy on Peace and Security for Plateau State, Chris Kwaja, recently highlighted a pivotal moment in the 1990s that he believes fundamentally altered the social fabric of the region.
He argues that the current insecurity cannot be understood without looking back at how local borders were drawn along sensitive identity lines.
“As far back as 1994, when Jos North was divided into three Jos North, Jos South, and Jos East that decision by the General Ibrahim Babangida Administration created a huge backlash in terms of how it hampered community relations across identity lines,” Kwaja stated.
According to Kwaja, the restructuring of local government areas (LGAs) was more than just a matter of maps and bureaucracy; it became a flashpoint for indigene versus settler dynamics.
By carving out these specific boundaries, the administration inadvertently deepened the divide between ethnic and religious groups who had previously lived in a more integrated social ecosystem.