120 killed, houses burnt in fresh
Plateau bloodbath
ON JUNE 25, 2018
86 bodies seen, 50 houses burnt — Police;
Army confirms 56 dead
Plateau govt slams dusk-to-dawn curfew on 3
affected LGAs
Northern CAN seeks arrest, prosecution of
perpetrators
13 killed as Ebonyi/C’ River inter-communal
conflict escalates
By Marie-Therese Nanlong, Peter Duru, Kingsely Omonobi & Emma Una
ABUJA—No fewer than 120 persons were weekend killed in several
villages in Barkin Ladi, Mangu and Riyom local government areas of Plateau
State in fresh attacks by gunmen suspected to be herdsmen, while over 200
others sustained gunshot injuries.
However, Commander of the Special Military Task Force, Major General
Anthony Atolagbe, last night confirmed that 56 persons were killed.
Major-General Atolagbe, who spoke from the bush where he was directing
operations to apprehend the perpetrators, also said three of the killers had
been arrested, adding that they confessed to participating in the killing. A
house burnt at Gashish, one of the villages attacked.
Photos by Marie-Therese Nanlong.
“The suspected killers have
been giving useful information about others involved in the killings and their
hideouts. We are going all out for them. Also, troops have been deployed
to ensure normalcy is restored,” he said. This came as 13 persons also lost
their lives in an inter-communal conflict between two communities in Cross
River and Ebonyi states.
The scale of destruction in Plateau, which also led to burning of
houses, compelled the state government to declare a dawn-to-dusk curfew in the
affected local government areas to stave off further killings. But Plateau
State Police Command said at press time last night it had counted 86 bodies,
asserting that it could not ascertain the actual number of casualties since
some families took away bodies of their loved ones without notification.
Information gathered that heavily armed gunmen invaded the affected
villages, including Exland, Gindin Akwati, Ruku, Nghar, Kura Falls and Kakuruk,
all in Gashish district as well as Rakok, Kok and Razat villages in Ropp
district of the local government area, shooting sporadically, killing people,
injuring others and setting structures ablaze. The latest attacks sparked off
protests by the youths who barricaded roads along Mangu Halle in Mangu Local
Government Area, protesting incessant killings in the area. Another burnt
house at Gashish, one of the villages attacked.
Photos by Marie-Therese
Nanlong.
An eye-witness, Masara Kim, who
narrowly escaped being killed in an ambush while returning from a funeral
service near Kura Falls, explained: “The attack occurred a few metres
away from a military checkpoint in Kafi Abu village. The attackers opened fire
on the convoy of sympathizers and bullets hit a vehicle which I was travelling
in, injuring one person. “At least four other travellers were critically
wounded in different other vehicles. In one vehicle, the driver and another
woman were shot in their legs. Another driver carrying over five passengers was
shot in the arm, resulting in the car crashing. “All on board fled into the
bushes amid heavy gunfire. The attackers by their looks, were herdsmen.”
The pastor in charge of Church of Christ In Nations, COCIN, Regional
Church Council, RCC, Rop in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, Pam Chollom,
said majority of those killed in the attack that lasted several hours were
mourners. He said: “Herdsmen attacked our members who attended the burial
of the father to one of our clergy, Baba Jakawa, at Gidin Akwati, Gashis
district. Late Jakawa was aged over 80 years, a committed member of COCIN, so
his burial attracted many sympathisers. “The armed men ambushed the
sympathisers on their way back from the burial, attacked and killed 34 persons
from Nekan village, 39 others from Kufang, and 47 people from Ruku
village.
As we speak with you, many
others are still missing in the bushes. “The sad incident started at about 1:00
p.m., and lasted still about 8:00 p.m. yesterday (Saturday). “We informed members
of the Special Task Force (STF) on Jos crisis. They went to one of the
villages, but the attackers had committed the havoc and left.” Spokesman of
Operation Safe Haven, Major Adam Umar, said soldiers were immediately deployed
to the affected villages, following sporadic gunshots which drew the military’s
attention. He said: “There was an incident yesterday (Saturday) in Barkin
Ladi, some attackers stormed the general area and started shooting
sporadically. “The sound of the gunshots attracted our personnel, they
immediately mobilized towards the area the gunshots were coming from.
On reaching there, they came under heavy fire. The incident is still
ongoing though under control. “There are casualties because there were gunshots
and fire-fight between our personnel and the attackers but for now, the number
is not ascertained.” It was learned yesterday that many people were still
trapped in the bushes, as sporadic shooting continued yesterday. Those
evacuated were said to have been taken to Jos University Teaching Hospital,
JUTH, for treatment.
Acting Public Relations Officer
of the hospital, Mr. Haruna Manzo, who confirmed this yesterday, said:
“On Saturday, five people were brought with gunshots wounds, one was treated
and discharged and four are on admission. “On Sunday, 21 new casualties were
brought and the total we received was 26, we don’t have any dead body here.”
However, Police Public Relations Officer in Plateau State command, ASP
Mathias Tyopev, gave some figures, saying “we have recovered 11 corpses so far
and deposited in a hospital. “We can only account for 11 from Exland, Kura
Falls, Gindin Akwati and some other villages. We are not working on
speculations but on numbers we have but if somebody died and the relatives did
not report to the Police, there is no way we can know. We have deployed enough
personnel in Gashish district as we speak.”
Governor Lalong slams curfew
The attacks forced the state governor, Simon Lalong, to immediately return home
from Abuja where he participated in the national convention of the All
Progressives Congress, APC, which held at the weekend. The governor, who
condemned the attack, directed security chiefs to checkmate the assailants and
appealed for calm, saying “government has fashioned out a lasting solution to
the present challenge.” Riyom, Barkin Ladi, Jos South LGs affected The state
government immediately imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on Riyom, Barkin Ladi and
Jos South local government areas, saying the move was to avert a breakdown of
law and order. The government in a statement by the Secretary to the State
Government, SSG, Rufus Bature, said: “Movement is restricted from 6pm to
6am, except for those on essential duties.” Also reacting to the attacks, the
state’s Commissioner for Information and Communication, Yakubu Dati, has said
the government was deeply pained that “despite concerted efforts which had led
to the restoration of relative peace across the state, some unpatriotic
elements are bent on disrupting the gains so far made.”
The statement condemned the attacks, assuring that government had
mobilised the “full compliments of security forces that are restoring normalcy
in the affected areas and the environs.”
PDP Reacting to the development, Plateau State chapter of Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, described the incident as “genocide” and called on the
international community to come to the aid of the state. In a statement issued
in Jos and signed by the Publicity Secretary, John Akans, PDP said: “We
received with rude shock the level of genocide going on now in Gashish
District, Razat, Ruku Nyarr and Gana-Ropp, all in Barkin Ladi Local Government.
“We also note with great pains the dastardly attacks ongoing in many
other local government areas in the state by the militias. “We condemn in the strongest
terms the level of continuous genocide of Plateau people.
At the moment, Barkin Ladi is under siege with over 130 people feared
to have been killed. As at time of this statement, the (SOM) CAPRO School of
missions Gana-Ropp is under heavy attack by the militias. “This unholy act of
systematic genocide and the destruction of the cultural heritage of Plateau
people must stop. “We call on the international community to come to the aid of
Plateau people as, besides the over 130 people killed, many are missing.”
CAN reacts Also reacting, Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria,
CAN, in 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, Rev. Yakubu Pam,
condemned the wanton killings of innocent villagers in restive
communities of Barkin Ladi , Bassa and parts of Riyom local
government areas in Plateau state. Rev Pam in a statement issued in Jos
yesterday, lamented that while the people of the state have started forgetting
the memories of the past, the recent resurgence of attacks and killings of villagers
in the restive communities of the affected three local government councils of
the state should be condemned by all peace loving citizens of the state. Pam,
who commended the Plateau State government for the relative peace it has
restored to the state in the last three years, challenged the government and security
agencies in the state to bring the on going madness in the affected
communities to an end as quickly as possible.
The Northern CAN leader alleged that crisis merchant who
do not want the state to be at peace were at it again to plunge Plateau
communities into another round of violence. He urged security agencies to go
after those that were hell bent on destroying the peace of the state. Plateau
CAN In its reaction, the state chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria,
CAN, in a message from its Chairman, Rev. Soja Bewarang, said: “The
continued genocide going on now in Gashish District, Razat, Ruku Nyarr,
Gana-Ropp, Shalong, Gwararza etc in Barkin Ladi Local Government and other communities
in Riyom and Bokkos are very disheartening to say the least.
“The killings are becoming no longer herders and farmers again but
deliberate attempt to conquer and occupy the land of the peoples’ ancestral
heritage. CAN also notes with great pains the dastardly attacks ongoing in many
other local government areas in the state by the herdsmen militias. “CAN
condemns in the strongest terms the continuous genocide of Plateau people.
Barkin Ladi is under siege with more than 200 innocent precious human
lives killed and countless driven out in the rains and left without shelter.
“CAN is also saddened by the news of attack on CAPRO School of Missions (SOM)
in Gana-Ropp by the militias. CAN had yesterday made a statement concerning the
incident at Mangu Halle as very unfortunate; commends the youth in Mangu and
environs as well as youth in Riyom, Barkin Ladi, for their peaceful action that
guaranteed peace or else things would have been worst. Commend some security
agencies, religious and elders for efforts to calm the situation. “The soil of
Plateau smells with rotten dead bodies as a result of silent killings and
besides, many people are missing. CAN mourns with the families and churches who
lose their loved ones prematurely and untimely and calls on the government, the
security at all levels to please rise and do the needful by discharging their
constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and properties of its
citizens.”
At press time yesterday, tension had started mounting at Anguldi,
Zawan and Bukuru areas of Jos South Local Government Area of the state but no
one was certain about the cause as residents were apprehensive and calling for
security to ensure no life or property was lost. Ebonyi Meanwhile, about 13
persons were reportedly killed and two villages razed, also at the weekend, in
the raging inter-communal conflict between the people of Ukele in Yala Local
Government Area of Cross River State and their Izzi neighbours of Ebonyi State.
The conflict, which is caused by struggle for farmland along their
common border, has been a recurring issue, particularly during yam and rice
planting seasons and many lives have been lost to the conflict since 2003 when
it first occurred. The recent conflict started on Monday when a woman
was reportedly shot in her farm and on Wednesday when some youths in Ipuolo
village returning from a meeting were reportedly waylaid by their Izzi
counterparts, leaving many of them with gunshot wounds.
Last Friday’s killings and burning of houses, according to Mr Vincent
Egbe, the Community Relations Officer to Cross River State Governor, Senator
Ben Ayade, started when some Izzi assailants invaded the venue of a
peace meeting convened by the Divisional Police Officer for the Area and
his Ebonyi State counterpart to find a peaceful resolution to the matter.
“We were already in the meeting venue waiting for the arrival of the DPOs
from Yala and Izzi Local Government Areas when some youths invaded the venue of
the meeting and shot into the crowd and wounded many people,” Egbe said. He
said Ukele youths mobilised and managed to repel the attackers and it was
in the ensuing battle that the village of Nkaleke and Nduabonyi were razed and
many people lost their lives. “They are the aggressors and all our people have
been trying to do is to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict, yet they
keep launching attacks on us,” he said. Mr Hafiz Inua, the Cross River State
Police Commissioner, could not be reached on phone but the Police Public
Relations Officer for the state police Command, Ms Irene Ugbo, said the
Commissioner travelled to the area to restore calm. According to her, the poor
network is the reason it was not possible to reach the commissioner on phone.
In a telephone chat with the Divisional Police Officer of Izzi local government
area of Ebonyi State, Ikechukwu Ogonna Nwenyi, who said he was not disposed to
talk as he was in a battle zone, explained that no side could accurately said
the number of those affected by the inter-communal conflict. According to him,
commuters are free to ply the road now “as we have opened up the road for
access to everyone.” On the claim by Cross River that 13 persons were killed by
Izzi assailants, the DPO further stressed that there was no real figure of
causalities on both side. “The real figure is not ascertained; the figures of
the causalities are not yet known; the road is now free to passersby and
commuters. People are now free to go about their businesses,’’ the DPO said.
