Unidentified men suspected to be Fulani militias and their cohorts have been fingered in another round of armed invasion simultaneously unleashed on Plateau communities which are, Dungus of Kuru District in Jos South LGA, Byei village of Riyom LGA and Zogu village of Miango in Bassa LGA between 8-9:00pm of Sunday, 13th June, 2021. As a result, 14 persons have been killed while 7 sustained varying degrees of injures.
For instance, in Kuru, on the spot assessment records 12 as the number of deaths below:-
1). Mr. Darap Ayuba Rap(aka Faa).
2). Mr. Stephen Ayuba Rap (Younger brother to number 1).
3). Mr. Ibrahim Monday Dong(aka IBB).
4. Mr. Feng Gyang Dalong.
5. Mr. Davou Matthew.
6. Mrs Naomi Samuel Mwankon.
7. Miss Kaneng Dung.
8. Mr. Davou Pam.
9. James Fom( aka Gang-Loh. Resident of Kuru from Rim).
10. Mr. Gyang Juma.
11. Mr. David Dalyop( Resident of Kuru from Rim)
12. Chigwuze Emmanuel Paul (Resident of Kuru, an Igbo Man), while injured persons are:
1). Miss Abigail Chuhwak.(from Wat Kuru).
2). Mrs Kangyang John.(from Kushe Kuru)
3). Mrs Joy Sallau.(Resident of Kuru from Lantang).
4). Mrs. Grace Dachung (From Kushe kuru).
5). Mr. Simon Mwangwong Jama (Kushe).
According to grassroot source, Mr. Pius Dung, the Village Head of Kushe Kuru village, “over 30 assailants strategically positioned themselves and surrounded the village Kushe in Kuru District, shooting from every corner. As a result, 12 people were shot dead while 5 injured,” he said.
From eyewitnesses, Miss Kangyang John, a survivor, shot in the leg and Mrs. Joy Nansok said some of the attackers wore long black robes associated with usual wears commonly used by Fulani herdsmen when coming to attack.
The attack, which lasted for about thirty minutes with no intervention by Government security agents, astonished an anonymous member of the Vigilante in the affected village, describing it as a “shock in slot of the presence of security checkpoint and Police Station not up to a kilometer away from where the attackers invaded,” he said. He added that he became helpless, especially when trying to lock the entrance of an active restaurant to minimize damage and casualty but narrowly escaped as vigilante members have not been armed to enable them have the requisite capacity of repelling such invaders who “came with sophisticated weapons” and killed at will with no resistance.
However, ‘Intelligence’ about the Kuru killings was shared a month earlier, but no action was taken, said Mr. Musa Bagos, a Member of the Nigerian House of Representatives Jos South/Jos East constituency in the Nigerian Parliament. He adds that, “this is why we have been clamouring for State Police, but they gave us community Police that is not built up capacity wise to carry arms. Now where is the community Police at this material time? They gather intelligence, but the intelligence is not worked upon,” he said.
In the same vein, the 2 killed in Zogu of Bassa LGA are:-
1. Mr. John Sunday 40 year old; and
2. Miss Justina Barry 6 year old while Mr. Barry Sunday and Mrs John Sunday sustained injuries and presently being treated in the hospital said Mr. Barry Bulus who narrated that
The germane question deserving response is, could this be part of the planned attacks referred to on May 19, 2021, by the Nigerian Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali revealed plans by Boko Haram to carry out attacks in Jos, the capital of Plateau State and Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory-Abuja? And if what Plateau communities are facing confirms the revelation given, It would be obviously clear and confirmation of the fact that what native communities are now facing is insurgency of Boko Haram sect being executed in Plateau State through it’s special Force called Fulani militias” that maim people in cold blood
Thus, Government at all levels, particularly all the security agents should rise up to their statutory obligations of ensuring safety of lives and property otherwise everyone be allowed through legislation for possession of firearms to enable self-defense exercise and any other remedial measure that need be taken since security presence could not be registered until about 11th hours after the incident.
By:
Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, Esq.
Emancipation Centre for Crisis Victims in Nigeria-ECCVN
