Plateau death toll rises to 16

The death toll from the attacks on communities in Plateau State has risen to 16, the police have said. Residents, however, said 25 people have been killed.  Residents have blamed herdsmen for the attack.

On Sunday, the state’s police command confirmed the arrest of a herdsman with a military AK 47 rifle. Terna Tyopev, the command’s spokesman, who confirmed the arrest to the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Jos, gave the rifle’s number as HC2614.

He said that the herdsman, Muhammadu Bimini, was arrested by mobile police officers on March 8, at Daffo. Mr. Tyopev said that the suspect had been transferred from Bokkos to the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Jos and was already being interrogated.

The police spokesman said that 16 people had been confirmed killed in the multiple attacks on several villages that took place between Wednesday, March 7, and Friday, March 9. He said that the command had deployed more personnel to restore peace to the troubled areas, and advised the people to remain calm and avoid taking laws into their hands.

Represented by Mamot Adams and Macham Makut, the community said that the bodies of those killed were recovered and given two mass burials – one on Friday, and another on Saturday.

The community leaders blamed the attacks on “our Fulani neighbours’’, and listed villages attacked to include Nghakudung, Shilim, Morok, Mandung, Faram, Filla and Hotom. Also attacked were Dai, Kungul, Hurum, Dahua, Malul, Warrem, Josho and Ganda.

They said that more than 5,000 people had been displaced, adding that some of them were in camps run by Churches. They called on security agencies to intervene toward halting the attacks so as to restore permanent peace to the communities. “We want government to take urgent steps to end the attacks because our youths are already agitated,’’ he said.