HE SinParty of violence in Plateau State is yet to abate, as nine people were killed yesterday around 1.20am in Tsohon Foron, while three others were gruesomely murdered in Kunzen Gashish, all in Barkin Ladi council.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Ayuba Pam, confirmed the casualty figures from the attacks, which happened almost simultaneously.Bala Adamu, a former legal adviser to Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Jos North Council and currently the Special Adviser on Youth Mobilisation to Governor Jonah Jang, led journalists to the scenes of the killings.
Addressing journalists at the end of the tour of scenes, the Chairman of Barkin Ladi council, Emmanuel Dacholom Loman, said: “This is a genocide. This is religious or ethnic cleansing. We are tired of this nonsense. We have reported this to the federal government, which are very slow in their actions.”
He said the attackers came and changed their mode of attacks, explaining that they came in, all wearing black uniforms to disguise their identities.
“This thing is an attack on my people, who are peace-loving and accommodating people,” he said. “But that we are peace-loving and accommodating does not mean we are fools.
“We have been pushed to the wall presently. You can see that the youths are not happy. We don’t want to take the laws into our hands, but the fact still remains that if the federal government is not doing anything, we will have no option than to do whatever we can do to protect ourselves.”
Loman called on other people living in Plateau to be vigilant, “because this is not only the issue of Barkin Ladi, but targeted at Plateau State as a whole. If they finish with this local government, the next local government could be yours.”
“This is an act of terrorism and some people are bent on using the state as a launch pad. There are a lot of external forces, despite the efforts of the traditional council.”
The council chairman warned of possible reprisal attacks from southern states, stressing, “you don’t expect people in Anambra State to hear that their people in Plateau State have been killed and continue to keep quiet.”
“They will one day react there and this is going to be a problem. The government, especially the federal government, should, therefore, rise to the challenge.”
Former Deputy Senate President, John Wash Pam, who hails from the area, was shot of words to express what happened yesterday.
Describing the scenario as guerrilla warfare, he said: “If you see the killed people lying down there, you will believe that this is the work of marksmen. They were all shot in the stomach almost at the same place. This is strange; it is suspicious.
“This is beyond the state government; it can only be handled by the federal government. The soldiers that have been put here have been unable to do anything positively. So, I believe the best thing is for the federal government to evacuate them and replace them with state police.”
Addressing a press conference yesterday, the spokesman of the Plateau Caucus in the House of Representatives, Bitrus Kaze, condemned the recent outbreaks of violence in Jos and some parts of the state.
“We sympathise with victims and their relations over the loss of lives and property, which they suffered in the wake of the wanton destructions,” he said. “We pray that God in His infinite mercy will grant them the fortitude to bear the irreparable losses.”
Even as he commended the federal and state government, as well as the security agencies for their concerted efforts in arresting the situation, he said there was room for improvement, especially following the avalanche of complaints that trailed the handling of the situation.
“Notwithstanding the foregoing, it has come to our knowledge that certain misguided elements are hell-bent on destabilizing democratic structures on the Plateau in the name of emergency rule,” he said.
“We condemn in the strongest terms possible and totally reject their obnoxious call for the declaration of another emergency rule in Plateau state.
“It is highly suspicious why they single out Plateau State for persecution notwithstanding the precarious security situation in many parts of the country, including post-elections violence and bombings.
“We make bold to state in clear, unmistaken and unequivocal terms our determination to resist any attempt to plunge our state into crisis. Plateau State cannot be treated as a scapegoat.”
He called on citizens of the state, irrespective of their ethnic backgrounds, political or religious persuasions, to eschew violence and remain calm, adding that the federal and state governments and all the security agencies were working round the clock to ensure the sustenance of lasting peace.
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