Plateau State was on Sunday thrown into
mourning with the killing of 86 persons in the attacks on about 11
communities in the Gashish District by suspected Fulani herdsmen......
The Police Command in Plateau State had
earlier on Sunday confirmed the attacks, saying it had only recovered 11
corpses from some of the villages. But residents had insisted that
about 200 people were killed by the marauding herdsmen.
However, the police later issued a
statement that indicated that the death toll in the attack on the
communities in the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area on Saturday night
had risen to 86. It added that six people were injured, 50 houses burnt,
15 motorcycles razed while two motor vehicles were torched.
The spokesperson for the Plateau State
Police Command, Matthias Tyopev, an Assistant Superintendent of Police,
in an updated statement issued on Sunday night, said the earlier 11
death toll in the attacks was due to the information at its disposal as
of then before the arrival of the search and rescue team from the Barkin
Ladi LGA.
Tyopev had identified the 11 corpses as
Dalyop Vanode, Dom Danladi, Bururu Wade, Joju Rala,Titus Danladi, Bitrus
Malat, Alu Matir, Noron Monday, Cecilia Yohana, Dam Bulus and Ladi
Danladi.
He said, “Sequel to the attack in the
Gashish District of Barkin Ladi LGA yesterday (Saturday) June 23, 2018,
the Commissioner of Police, Plateau State Command, Jos, Undie Adie,
after deploying more personnel in the district sent a search and rescue
team from the Command headquarters today (Sunday) for an on-the-spot
assessment.
“The team headed by ACP Edeh John of the
Department of Operations had also the DPO of the Barkin Ladi Division
and a Unit Commander from Mopol 38. After a careful search of the
villages attacked in the District, the following were discovered: 86
persons altogether were killed, six people injured, 50 houses burnt, 15
motorcycles and two motor vehicles also burnt.
While the Peoples Democratic Party and
the Christian Association of Nigeria, called on the global community to
rescue Plateau State from the attacks, the Plateau State Government
imposed a dusk to dawn curfew in the Riyom, Barkin Ladi and Jos South
LGAs.
The decision, according to the government, is to avert the breakdown of law and order.
A statement issued on Sunday by the
Secretary to the State Government, Rufus Bature, said movement would
be restricted from 6 pm to 6 am, except those on essential duties.
“The soil of Plateau smells with rotten dead bodies as a result of silent killings and many people are missing,” CAN stated.
The attack was said to have been
launched at Xland. Gindin Akwati, Ruku, Nghar, Kura Falls and Kakuruk
all in Gashish District were completely raided by the assailants.
Other areas affected by the attacks included Rakok, Kok and Razat in the Ropp District.
The Chairman, Public Accounts and
Petition Committee in the Plateau State House of Assembly representing
the Barkin Ladi constituency, Peter Gyendeng ,in an interview on Sunday said the attacks were a declaration of war on his constituency.
He claimed that mercenaries were hired to kill people in the Barkin Ladi LGA. Gyendeng said, “As a matter of fact, the
casualty rate is in hundreds; it is more than 100. In one place, it is
above 51, in another, over 32 and yet in another area, it is same. For
now, based on what we have on the ground and the corpses that we have
been receiving, it is probably over 200 casualties.
“Altogether, about 11 villages were
attacked and our people are there now trying to ascertain the number of
deaths. The casualty rate is above 200 and counting (of the corpses) is
still going on.
“This is war; it is a declaration of war
on my people. War has been declared on the Barkin Ladi LGA completely.
There are mercenaries that have been hired to come and kill people in
the Barkin Ladi LGA. The killing started around 11pm last (Saturday)
night till this (Sunday) morning. And the killing still continues.”
Reacting to the killings, the PDP
described Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State as an “absentee
governor, who had been out of the state for the past three weeks.
The party called on the international
community to “come to the aid of Plateau people as apart from the over
130 people killed, many are missing. The PDP in a statement by its Publicity Secretary in Plateau State, John Akans, described the attacks as genocide.
He said, “We received with rude shock
the level of genocide going on now in the Gashish District, Razat, Ruku
Nyarr and Gana-Ropp, all in the Barkin Ladi LGA. We also note with great
pains the dastardly attacks ongoing in many other LGAs in the state by
the Fulani militias.
“We condemn, in the strongest terms, the
level of continuous genocidal attacks on Plateau people. At the moment,
Barkin Ladi is under siege by the marauders with over 130 people feared
to have been killed. As of the time of issuing this statement, CAPRO
School of Missions-SOM in Gana-Ropp is under heavy attack by the
militia.
“…We call on the international community
to come to the aid of Plateau people as beside the over 130 people
killed, many are missing. While we mourn our people, we are calling on
this failed, incompetent and ineffective APC government at all levels
to, for once, be sensitive by discharging its constitutional
responsibility of protecting lives and properties of its citizens.
“While killings are going on, the
President (Muhammadu Buhari) is busy telling members of the
international community that Nigeria is safe for investment and tourism.
“While the Federal Government is
planning to pump hundreds of billions of naira into the construction of
cattle ranches in states, killings are ongoing in states that have not
put in place any ban on open grazing.”
The Plateau State Government has commiserated with citizens especially, Xland, Gindin Akwati communities
of the Barkin Ladi LGA, saying it held every single life as sacred.
The government requested citizens to use
the “early warning system” mechanism recently launched by Operation
Rainbow on 30812 for SMS and 09060100010 for voice calls.
A statement by the Plateau State
Commissioner for Information and Communication, Yakubu Dati, said the
government was deeply pained that despite concerted efforts which had
led to the restoration of relative peace in the state, “some unpatriotic
elements are bent on disrupting the gains so far made.”
He said, “The government condemns these
attacks and has mobilised the full compliments of security forces and
they are restoring normalcy in the affected areas and the environs.
Furthermore, the government holds every single life as sacred hence has
mobilised medical and relief agencies to ameliorate the suffering of
those in distress.
“As a government, we are committed to
ensuring a safe and secure environment that will guarantee peaceful
coexistence among the various groups in the state as we remain resolute
to the well being of our people.”
Source: PUNCH ONLINE
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