ANOTHER tragedy struck in Plateau State on
Monday when about thirty people were
killed and forty houses burnt in an attack by
gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen
on villages in Bachit District, of Riyom Local
Government Area of the state.
Also destroyed by the gunmen who were in
their large number were valuable properties
worth million of naira while cattle belonging
to the natives were also carted away by the
marauders.
Nigerian Tribune learnt that the gunmen at
about 7: 00 am stormed shonong
community, consisting of four different
villages in a commando-like operation and
shot sporadically into the air to announce
their arrival killing no fewer than thirty
people while many people sustained fatal
injuries.
An eye witness told Nigerian Tribune that
those who sustained gunshot injuries are
presently receiving medical treatment at the
Vom Christian Hospital adding that the
attackers stormed the village at about 7am
when most of the able-bodied men that
could have repelled the attack had gone to
farm, thereby killing mostly children,women
and the aged people.
He said he escaped narrowly from the attack
as he was moulding blocks around his
house when the killings commenced.
He added that 30 bodies were discovered
after the attack adding that survirors of the
attack had since commenced search as
many people in the affected villages are still
missing.
However, the Majority Leader of the Plateau
State House of Assembly and member
representing Riyom constituency, Hon.
Daniel Dem regretted the presence of the
Special Task Force (STF) in the area, adding
that “if the military were there in the village
and the attack took place at about 8am and
lasted till afternoon, then the military have
so many question to answer.”
He said “for some weeks now the acting
Chief of Shonong where the attack took
place was killed and was buried last week
with two others. This morning again, I was
called at about 8 am that there is a fight in
Shonong and that some women and
children went to search for firewood in the
farm and were killed and that the Fulani
surrounded the entire community firing
sporadic gun shots and several people killed
and many injured.”
“We have security men there and if the
attack will start from 8am until after noon, I
think something must be wrong, what are
the military there for? If we will have attack
from morning to after noon and people
killed, houses burnt, I think the military
should be asked why they were there to
protect lives and property of the people.
“We have try to get in touch with them and
they said they are on ground and what then
happen from morning to evening that over
30 people were killed and with so many
casualties are lying in the hospital,” he cried
out.
All effort to get official confirmation from
the Special Task Force in charge of the
security in the state prove abortive.