STF foils
carnage in
Barkin Ladi
Like in Dante's inferno, the
gory killings in Jos, Plateau
State continued yesterday as a
family of 14 people including
a pregnant mother were
massacred in the early hours
of yesterday.
The crime was carried out by
suspected Fulani herdsmen
who invaded Vwang Kogot
village in Vwang district of Jos
South Local Government Area.
The village, about three
kilometres off the major road
leading to Manchok town in
Kaduna State, was thronged
by a large number of
sympathizers who crying and
wailing, at the gory sight of
the victims made up of
women and children.
These killings is coming a day
after about 12 people were
killed in two separate attacks
on two communities in Barkin
Ladi local government area of
the state.
This brings to about eight of
such attacks within Barkin
Ladi, Jos North, Riyom and Jos
South local government areas
in Plateau North senatorial
district, with no fewer than 90
lives lost in the attacks which
are purported to have been
carried out with the support
of members of the Special
Task Force (STF), drafted to
the state to maintain law and
order.
According to eye witnesses,
the attackers came about
11pm and went to the family
home of Dauda Badung killing
him and his pregnant wife
along with five other children
and two grand children
Also, a 70 year old man, a 60
year old woman and a two
year old Helen Gyang were
also killed while a four year
old survivor with gunshot
wounds is now receiving
treatment at the Vom Christian
Hospital.
The Special Adviser to the
governor on Media, Pam
Ayuba regretted the attacks
and assured that the
perpetrators will be fished out
and brought to book.
Meanwhile the Special Task
Force (STF) on Jos crises code
named ‘Operation safe haven’
has arrested one Muhammed
Abdulahi. He was arrested last
night in Rop village, Barkin
Ladi local government when
the soldiers aborted another
attack on the village.
Spokesman of the STF, Captain
Charles Ekeocha while
parading the suspect at the
STF headquarters said, “This
young man named
Muhammed Abdulahi was
among the over 30 attackers
who came to attack Rop
village of Barkin Ladi last
night”
He added that, “the youths of
the area alerted us of the
impending attack and we
moved in to the village, the
attackers learnt of our
presence and aborted their
plan, unfortunately for this
man we met him on the road
and we suspected him as one
of them.
“We conducted immediate
search on him and found in
his travelling bag some
weapons of attack. The
weapons in his bag included a
pistol, knife and handset. We
are prepared to work if the
youths are ready to cooperate
with us by giving intelligence
information. We are not
spirits, we are also human, we
cannot succeed without
people’s cooperation. We
were able to arrest this man
because the youths are ready
to work with us.”
Meanwhile, Governor Jonah
Jang has commended the
security agencies for their
efforts in curtailing the crises
while he was away on medical
trip abroad. He gave the
commendation at a security
meeting he conveyed shortly
after his arrival.
Jang said, “I have been
briefed on what transpired
and I must commend the
security agencies for their
resilience and efforts to
combat the violence.”
The caucus of House of
Representative members from
Plateau State has condemned
calls from their counterparts
in the north for a declaration
of a state of emergency in the
state over the prolonged
crises.
The House of Representatives
members made their position
known in a press conference
in Jos yesterday.
Bitrus Kaze who led the team
of eight members from the
state to the NUJ secretariat Jos
stated that, “It has come to
our knowledge that certain
elements are hell-bent on
destabilizing democratic
structures on the Plateau in
the name of emergency rule.
“We condemn in strongest
term possible and totally reject
their obnoxious calls for the
declaration of another
emergency in Plateau State. It
is highly suspicious why the
advocate of a state of
emergency singled out the
state for prosecution
notwithstanding the
precarious situation in many
parts of the country including
post-election violence and
bombings.”
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