Gunmen kill 33 in Plateau

THE prevailing peace in the southern part of Plateau State was shattered in the early hours of Thursday when gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen in their large number swooped on three villages in Langtang South area of the state killing no fewer than 33 people.
Nigerian Tribune authoritatively gathered that the herdsmen who were suspected to be Fulani mercenaries from the neighbouring Niger Republic arrived Bolgan  and Magama villages in their large number on motorcycles at about 8:30 am and positioned themselves at vantage positions.
It was learnt that inhabitants of the three villages were caught pants down and could not put their acts together throughout the two hours operation, forcing many of them to run for their lives.
Witness who spoke with Nigerian Tribune on condition of anonymity said  the assailants not only killed from one house to another but trailed those who ran into the bush and hacked those caught to death.
The witnesses further disclosed that several houses including vehicles were burnt by the marauders, adding that throughout the operation,  security men were nowhere to be seen despite several calls to them, adding that nine  people were killed in Bolgan village alone.
It was learnt further that those killed at Magama were  mostly children and elderly people who could not run  while the aged father of the chairman Church of Christ in All Nations in Langtang, Rev. Nandip Miri was among those killed by the gunmen.
Rev. Miri who is the Provisional Church Council chairman of COCIN, said that the death toll may be higher as corpses of those killed while fleeing still littered the road and the bush.
He said, “We cannot know the actual number of people who lost their lives as we are still picking dead bodies from the bush. The attackers followed the victims on motorcycles and were killing them mercilessly as they tried to escape. So many dead bodies were found in the bush and more may still be found later.”
The transitional chairman of Langtang South Local Government,  Mr. Narman Darko  confirmed 33 people dead in the three affected villages  and alleged that those who carried out the operation were Fulani militias.
He gave the breakdown as follows: Magama village 23 people; Bolgan, seven and two people; killed between Magama and Karkishi, adding that over 100 houses were also burnt by the attackers.
The transitional chairman said, the authority of the council had  informed the Special Task Force (STF)  in charge of the security in the state, adding that the men had moved in to prevent further destruction of lives and property in the area.
He urged the people of the three villages to be on the alert and report any suspicious movement to law enforcement agencies with a view to bringing the situation under control.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Felicia Anselem  said she is yet to get full details of what  happened and promised to get back for confirmation.
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