SENATOR DANTONG: CUT DOWN IN ACTIVE DUTY PURSUING PEACE
The debonair soft spoken Senator Gyang Dalyop Dantog was one of the few senators who bestrode the red chambers with intelligent animation. Known for his concise and well articulated contribution on issues of national importance, Senator Dantong never shied away to speak frankly on matters that affects his constituency in the chamber and especially on health matters.
Described as unassuming and gentle by his colleagues, Dangtong's last major outing as a lawmaker was the public hearing on advocacy to push out polio, which was held last May.
Senator Dantong was a medical practitioner and one who was very vocal on affairs that concerns his people. He represented Plateau North in the Senate, where since his first tenure between 2007 and 2011 distinguished himself, such that he was considered most qualified to chair the strategic committee
The late Senator Dantong, had on Tuesday July 3 in what seemed like his last interview to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) declared that persistent attacks on Plateau State rural communities could only be halted if security officers raid settlements believed to have stock piled arms.
'The victims of the attacks have always claimed that they know the attackers and they believe that they are from some nearby villages.
'The victims also believe that the attackers have stockpiled arms which they use for the attacks. We feel that the security agencies should investigate such claims by the villages to ascertain the truth'
Senator Dantiong spoke with NAN in Jos shortly after the burial of Mr. John Daring, Chairman of the PDP in Sharubutu ward, Riyom Local Government, killed alongside his wife and son, two weekends ago by unknoiwn gunmen.
Dantong represented Plateau North, unfortunately he and the Majority Leader of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Gyang Fulani, died along with over 50 people during an attack by some gunmen at about 2.30pm yesterday. The incident followed the earlier gruesome discovery of 50 corpses in a church in the area.They were the corpses of members of a church said to have fled an onslaught by Fulani herdsmen.
A string of attacks on Saturday in Barkin Ladi and Riyom local government areas led to the killings of over 60 people.
The latest attacks came as a setback to efforts by the new National Security Adviser, (NSA) Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), to restore peace to the troubled state.
The interview underscored his passion for his people.
Ironically, he was to die while also attending mass burial of scores of people killed in the simmering crisis in the state just as Dantong died pursuing peaceful coexistence among his people of Plateau North.