The organisation consequently raised the alarm over the spate of killings in the state by gunmen suspected to be herdsmen. No fewe...
The organisation
consequently raised the alarm over the spate of killings in the state by
gunmen suspected to be herdsmen.
No fewer than 125 dead bodies were recovered and given mass
burial in the past three days, Mwaghavul Development Association (MDA), a
socio-cultural organisation in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State,
has said.
The organisation consequently
raised the alarm over the spate of killings in the state by gunmen suspected to
be herdsmen.
This is as the Plateau State Police Command declared that a
total of 117 bodies had been recovered.
Addressing newsmen in Jos, Plateau State, the National President of the Mwaghavul
Development Association, Sir, Joseph Gwankat, said apart from the two
communities- Fungzai and Kubwat that were initially attacked in the early hours
of Tuesday, many other communities and villages also suffered the same fate
with many inhabitants killed.
According to the Nation, he said those displaced as a result
of the attack were going through a harrowing period as they were lacking food
and other amenities. He noted
that more than 20,000 people were displaced and are currently taking
refuge at the local government secretariat, churches and traditional rulers’
palaces.
“It may interest you to know that since the attack on our
communities started on Tuesday, the government has not visited those places
attacked by gunmen. Those they have seen were people displaced and roaming
around for succour. The local government and the Mwaghavul Development
Association cannot handle the situation alone.
“By our estimation, more than 20,000 people have been
displaced, though we have yet to take inventory but within three days we had
buried 125 people and we are still counting. There are more corpses still
floating in ponds that we cannot even access, many are dumped in wells.”
Continuing, he said: “The attack was unprovoked like the one
that happened in the early hours of Tuesday. I also want to correct the
erroneous impression that it was a clash.
It was not a clash but an attack on innocent people. The word unknown
gunmen should be discarded because there is no way an attack will take place
for one week and the security men will tell us that they are unknown,” he said.
He, therefore, called on the government to take immediate
steps to facilitate the return of all persons displaced and now in different
IDPs’ camps by reconstructing their homes and providing security for them as
well.
Gwankat noted that the government should take full
responsibility of educating the children below the age of 10 who have lost both their parents as a
result of the attack while arrangements should be made for those in SS3
whose WAEC examinations were disrupted
as result of the attacks.
Meanwhile, the
Plateau State Police Command says it had recovered a total of 117 bodies and
arrested seven suspects.
The Command in a
statement signed by its spokesman, DSP Alfred Alabo, informed that in addition
to the five suspects earlier announced, “Two more suspects had been arrested
and exhibits recovered from them include two
cutlasses, one dagger and some amount of money suspected to have been
stolen from the houses they looted, as they were all arrested in the act of
committing the crime by officers from one of our tactical team led by Supol
Bamidele know Eagle Eye unit .
“The suspects are presently in our custody and will be
charged to court for prosecution after our investigations are concluded.
“After calm was restored to the communities, more bodies
were recovered which is part of the
thirty earlier reported. The figures are as follows: (1) Kubat Village 27, (2)
Kantoma Village 31, (3) Alagon 6, (4)
Kubwas 8, (5) Dumnang 9, (6). Shangal 1, (7) Gwet 3 and (8) Washna 2.
Also, Manret hospital had about Fifteen (15) injured
persons, Infinity hospital had over Eight (8), Allah Nakowa Hospital had over
Sixteen (16) while at Mangu Cottage Hospital there are an unspecified number of
persons receiving treatment there also.”
The command extended
its condolences to the families of the deceased and assured them that
everything possible was being done to bring the perpetrators of this heinous
crime to justice.
To avert a reoccurrence of the dastardly act, the Plateau
State Security Council yesterday held an
emergency meeting to review and assess the recent attacks in various villages
of Mangu Local Government which left many dead and property worth millions of naira destroyed.
Dr. Makut Simon Macham Director of Press and Public Affairs
to the Governor in a statement stated that the security meeting which was held
at the Government House, Rayfield, Jos, was chaired by the Governor Simon Bako
Lalong.
Governor Lalong while briefing reporters after the meeting
said the council reviewed the situation and resolved that all suspects arrested
for allegedly carrying out the attack must be immediately prosecuted in a
transparent and open manner to send a strong message to the public that no
criminal conduct will go unpunished.
He said the council condemned the dastardly act and remains
committed to sustaining the search for other fleeing perpetrators who must be
arrested and dealt with swiftly.
The governor also stated that the Security Council mandated
the security agencies to sustain the presence of their personnel on ground to
rebuild confidence and halt any further affront on innocent citizens.
Lalong also disclosed that the Government will immediately
step in to address the plight of displaced persons in the area and work towards
restoring normalcy.
The governor also announced the plans to step up engagement
both at local and State levels which will lead to setting up of an Engagement
Committee to douse the tension generated by the unfortunate incident.
The council also appealed to citizens to increase vigilance
and avoid any action that can lead to escalation of the situation.
He assured that the Government will not fold its arms to see
its citizens being maimed and killed by criminals for no reason.
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