More than 200 people were allegedly killed in Gashish and Ropp Districts of Plateau State, yesterday, during attacks that were carried out on about 11 communities by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
Subsequently, the Plateau State Government has imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on Riyom, Barkin Ladi and Jos South local government areas.
Although there were rumours that some soldiers might be missing, the Commander of the Special Military Task Force code-named Operation Safe Haven, Major-General Anthony Atolagbe, said, “it’s not true, no soldier died and no soldier is missing.”
The decision, according to the government, was to avert further breakdown of law and order.
A terse statement issued, yesterday by the Secretary to the State Government, Rufus Bature, said the movement was restricted from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am, except for those on essential duties.”
The attack was said to have been launched at Xland, Gindin Akwati, Ruku, Nghar, Kura Falls and Kakuruk all in Gashish District.
The communities were completely sacked by the assailants, reports said.
Other areas affected by the attack included Rakok, Kok and Razat all in Ropp District.
The Chairman, Public Accounts and Petition Committee in Plateau State House of Assembly representing Barkin Ladi, Peter Gyendeng, in an interview with newsmen, yesterday, said the attack was “a declaration of war” on his constituency.
He claimed that “mercenaries” have been hired to come and kill people in 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 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 Barkin Ladi LGA completely.
“There are mercenaries that have been hired to come and kill people in Barkin Ladi LGA.
“The killing started around 11:00 pm last (Saturday) night till this (Sunday) morning. And the killing still continues.”
When contacted, the spokesperson of the Plateau State Police Command, Matthias Tyopev, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, confirmed the killings to our correspondent, saying, “11 corpses have been recovered and no arrest has been made.”
He identified the 11 corpses as those of Dalyop Vanode, Dom Danladi, Bururu Wade, Joju Rala, Titus Danladi, Bitrus Malat, Alu Matir, Noron Monday, Cecilia Yohana, Dam Bulus and Ladi Danladi.
However, condemnations have continued to trail last weekend’s attacks and killings in villages in Barkin Ladi, Mangu and Riyom local government areas of Plateau State were unconfirmed reports say more than 100 bodies have so far been picked while over 200 people are currently receiving treatments in various hospitals in the state.
It was gathered that heavily armed gunmen invaded the affected areas, including Exland, Gindin Akwati, Ruku, Nghar, Kura Falls and Kakuruk, all in Gashish district as well as Rakok, Kok and Razat villages all in Ropp district of the local government area, shooting sporadically, killing people, injuring others and setting structures ablaze.
Similar attack had caused heavy barricade of roads along Mangu Halle in Mangu Local Government Area where youth protested the incessant killings in the area and some mourners last Saturday escaped death along Barkin Ladi – Bokkos road as they were bombarded by gunshots by the herders who occupied the expressway.
Security agencies were, yesterday, seen searching and evacuating corpses and rescuing the injured.
Spokesman of Operation Safe Haven, Major Adam Umar told newsmen, yesterday, “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.”
Many people are said to be trapped in the bushes and attacks are still being launched in some yet to be identified villages in the area.
But the state government, in a statement by its Commissioner for Information and Communications, Yakubu Dati has said it 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 government had mobilised the “full compliments of security forces that are restoring normalcy in the affected areas and the environs.”
Also, the 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 its Publicity Secretary, John Akans, the party 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 Fulani 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.”
Similarly, about 13 persons were reportedly killed and two villages razed, last Friday 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 over farmland along their common border has been a recurring decimal, particularly during yam and rice planting seasons, leading to the loss of many lives since 2003 when it first occurred.
The recent conflict started last Monday when a woman was reportedly shot in her farm, and on Wednesday when some youth in Ipuolo village returning from a meeting were reportedly waylaid by their Izzi counterparts, leaving many of them with gunshot wounds.
According to the Community Relations Officer to the Cross River State Governor, Senator Ben Ayade in the area, Mr Vincent Egbe, the killings and burning of houses 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 youth invaded the venue and shot into the crowd and wounded many people”.
Egbe said the Ukele youth mobilised and managed to repel the attackers, adding that it was in the ensuing battle that Nkaleke and Nduabonyi villages 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”, Egbe said.
The Cross River State Police Commissioner, Mr Hafiz Inua, could not be reached on phone as his number was not connecting but the Police Public Relations Officer for the state Police Command, Ms Irene Ugbo, who confirmed the incident, said the commissioner travelled to the area, explaining that telephone network was bad in the area.
Meanwhile, at least, five people have been killed and eight others injured in an attack by suspected armed men in Kuriga, a village in Kaduna State, last Friday.
The armed bandits were also said to have carted away over 80 cows from the villagers, who are predominantly herders and farmers.
The Spokesman for the Kaduna State Police Command, Mukhtar Aliyu, confirmed this to newsmen in Kaduna, last Saturday.
According to him, the gunmen stormed the village, last Friday afternoon, and opened fire on worshippers inside a mosque while they were observing their prayers.