Many feared killed as gunmen invade villages in Plateau

•Gunmen

Condemnations have continued to trail 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.

Vanguard 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 heavily barricade of roads along Mangu Halle in Mangu local government area where youths protested the incessant killings in the area and some mourners on Saturday escaped death along Barkin Ladi – Bokkos road as they were bombarded by gunshots by the herders who occupied the expressway.

Security agencies were on Sunday searching and evacuating corpses and rescuing the injured and the Spokesman of Operation Safe Haven, Major Adam Umar told Vanguard, “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 Communication, Yakubu Dati has said it is 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 has 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 Party’s Publicity Secretary, John Akans,

“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 the 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.”