Plateau Attacks: 230 Killed in One Month, Says Group

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

Equity International (EI), a non-governmental organisation, has disclosed that available statistics have revealed that at least 230 persons have been killed in the past month in Plateau State, calling on the federal government to intensify efforts to return persons displaced by the attacks to their ancestral homes.

Addressing a press conference in Jos, the spokesman of Equity International, Chris Iyama, said: “We are calling on the federal government and security agencies to immediately reclaim and secure all abandoned farmlands, and abandoned homes so that all the farmers who left their ancestral lands can feel safe to return to their communities and their farmlands.

“We are also calling on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to intensify humanitarian support to all the affected communities.

“What is most painful about these unfortunate killings is that people were preparing to celebrate the Christmas and in the dead of the night, they were slaughtered. The enemies of humanity slaughtered women, children, and weeks-old newborn babies. These attacks went on unabated for hours without restraint from security agencies or anyone else.

“As an organisation, we condemn this unprovoked attack on humanity, regardless of the reasons behind them. There is no justification for the killing of innocent people at night in their sleep.

“We wish to call on government at all levels to do the needful in ensuring that the perpetrators are arrested and made to face the law. We are aware that the Plateau State Governor does not command troops to make arrests, hence we are calling on the National Assembly to expedite action and pass the law to enable the creation of State Police so that governors can take swift action considering that they are the first respondents in the event of any security problems.”

Meanwhile, the National President of the Mwaghavul Youth Movement (MYM), Sunday Dankaka, yesterday disclosed that over 91 persons were killed in last week’s attacks in Mangu Local Government Area of the state.

In a statement, Dankaka said from January 22 till date, the statistics of persons killed in the crisis in Mangu LGA are 42 women, 37 children, and 12 men.

He added that 158 persons were also injured and are currently receiving treatment in eight different hospitals in the LGA, even as 114 houses, over 202 shops, 15 churches, and nine mosques were burnt and looted by the gunmen.