Plateau: Police, 28 Others Killed as Gunmen Sack Five Communities

 Governor Jona Jang

Ganawuri district in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State again came under the attack of gunmen on Monday night leaving at least 28 persons dead and several others seriously injured.

Houses and churches in the villages of DaJak, Attakar, Zadien, Luka and Marid were not spared, as the attackers set them ablaze, left them in ruins and forced the remnants of the communities to escape to neighbouring Kaduna State.

In the fury of the attack, a police corporal, simply identified as Jibril, serving with the state command, was shot dead by the assailants.
Jibril was deployed on patrol duty alongside his colleagues in the area when he was caught in the gunfire.
Confirming the incident, the member representing Riyom Constituency in the state House of Assembly, Hon Daniel Dem, who spoke with THISDAY on the phone said: “Dozens of persons were feared killed,” adding that he could not give the casualty figure as at press time.

Describing the attack as sad, Dem said the villages had been under siege by suspected Fulani militia since last week.

He again accused the Special Task Force (STF) on the Jos crisis of complicity, adding that they were part of the problem.

“My people are being killed everyday and yet the Special Task Force is not doing anything about it. I am calling for the withdrawal of the STF since they are not capable of handling the crisis that has been rocking the state for a long time,” he said.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Chris Olakpe, while confirming the incident, said the police corporal was shot while on a peace mission to the area.

He said that no arrest had been made yet, but added that his men were on the trail of the attackers.