Jos heating up again! Pregnant woman, 13 family members wiped out

“Death toll 52: Upper Friday 21, Sunday 8, Monday 11, Friday 12.” 

The orgy of violence in Plateau State continued yesterday as gunmen snuffed life out of 14 family members, including a heavily pregnant woman and children.

Yesterday’s killings took the death toll in nine days in the state’s intriguing war to 52.

The latest attack on Vwang Fwill village in Vwang District of Jos South Local Government Area was again allegedly carried out by assailants aided by men in uniform.

They were said to have stormed the village located about three kilometres off the Vom-Manchok Road at about 11 p.m., attacking the compound of one Dauda Badung, killing him and his pregnant wife, their five children and two grand children.

Not satisfied, the gunmen went to the house of Badung’s  brother where they killed five more people. Two others, including a four-year old survived the attack with gunshot and matchet wounds and are now hospitalized.

An eyewitness said the attackers spoke Fulfulde (Fulani dialect) throughout the operation, fueling the suspicion that they were Fulani herdsmen.

LITANY OF KILLINGS
Yesterday’s  attack, which is a continuation of serial killings that has instilled fear in residents of the state, happened hours after the state Security Council met and assured that measures had been taken to forestall further killings.

The latest killings in the fratricidal war has taken the death toll in nine days to 52.

On Friday, September 2, reports said that the violence in the state claimed 21 lives.

A family of eight, including a four-month old baby, was eliminated by assailants at a village in Heipang District of Barkin Ladi local Government Area of the state last Sunday (September 4).

The Plateau serial killings continued last Monday (September 5) with the cold blooded murder of 11 in separate attacks on villages in Jos North and Jos South LGAs.

Just two days ago (Friday), 12 people were killed in separate attacks on two villages in Barkin Ladi LGA of Plateau State.

Chairman of Jos North Local Government Area, Mr. Moses Dalyop, expressed shock at the bestiality of the serial killers.

He appealed to the state and federal governments to do something about the situation in view of the increasing sophistication of the attackers.

Also reacting, Special Adviser to Governor Jonah Jang on Media Affairs, Mr. Ayuba Pam, said government was doing everything to put an end to the killings assuring that the perpetrators would be fished out and made to face the law.

‘COUNT US OUT’
Meanwhile, the Special Task Force (STF) maintaining security in the state has distanced its personnel from any involvement in the series of attacks on the Plateau villages.

Reacting yesterday to the insinuation of the connivance of his men in the attacks, media officer of the STF, Captain Charles Ekeocha, said they could not turn round to be attacking the same people they were brought to protect.

He spoke while parading a suspected member of the killer gang attacking the villages who, he said, was arrested at Rop village in Barkin Ladi LGA where the STF aborted another attack.

He said the suspect was one of the 30 assailants who wanted to attack the village but beat a retreat on learning of the presence of the STF, adding that the suspect ran out of luck as he was caught and, when searched, a pistol and a knife were found in his bag.

“There is no benefit for soldiers killing those we were brought to protect; people should stop this rumour that we aid some of the attack. This will not help us or the peace process”, Ekeocha said.

– By Taye Obateru 

Source: Vanguard