TheNewsGuru

Tag: Killings

  • Boko Haram: Nigerian Army react to AI’s recent reports on killings in Rann

    The Nigerian Army on Saturday denied reports by Amnesty International, alleging that 60 displaced persons were killed by the Boko Haram insurgents at Rann community in Borno State, describing it as misleading.

    Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, Operation Lafiya Dole, made the clarification in a statement in Maiduguri.

    Amnesty International in a report alleged that Boko Haram insurgents attacked the community sequel to the withdrawal of troops from the area.

    According to Nwachukwu, there was no evidence of such attack as well as the murder of 60 persons by the insurgents on January 28; as claimed by the organization.

    He said, “The attention of the Theatre Command, Operation LAFIYA DOLE has been drawn to recent claims by Amnesty International (AI) that troops’ abandonment of their deployment led to the killing of 60 civilians in Rann on Jan. 28, 2018.

    “Undoubtedly, it is disheartening that the situation of Internally Displaced Persons ( IDPs) who are already traumatized, having been displaced from their ancestral homes by insurgency, is being further aggravated by recent callous Boko Haram attack on the IDP community.

    “However; it is most unacceptable and unfair for AI to make such outlandish and unverified claims that troops abandoned their deployment a day before Boko Haram attack on the location, thereby exposing the IDPs to a deadly attack.

    “This claim is not only bereft of truth, but in its usual mannerism, another futile effort by AI to portray the Nigerian military as incapable and project the Nigerian government as not protective of her people in the eyes of the global community.

    “It is, therefore, inevitable to address this misinformation being peddled and fed the public from AI’s obviously uninformed report’’.

    Nwachukwu noted that the insurgents attacked the community on Jan. 14, as against Jan. 28, as claimed by the Amnesty International.

    He added that during the encounter with the insurgents on Jan. 14, the troops proved their gallantry, neutralized two suicide bombers and three Boko Haram fighters, while several others fled with gunshot wounds.

    The army spokesperson revealed that the Theatre Commander, Maj. Gen. Benson Akinroluyo, accompanied by the Commander Sector 1, Operation LAFIYA DOLE, Brig. Gen. Bulama Biu, conducted a long-range patrol and battle damage assessment exercise at Rann and other adjoining communities in the area.

    He observed that the report of the assessment exercise indicated that there were no records of 60 persons killed in the insurgents’ attack as claimed by the AI.

    “Contrary to AI’s claims, at no point of the assessment indicated the killing of 60 persons made either by members of the community, whom the Sector Commander interacted with or by the members of the Multi National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), who were at hand during the assessment.

    “Again, the alleged 60 dead bodies were not recovered during search and rescue operation conducted after the attack, as AI would want members of the public to believe.

    “The troops commenced a clearance operation in villages surrounding Rann and destroyed Boko Haram terrorists’ camps that were uncovered during the operation.

    “In one of such clearance operations on Jan. 30, the troops encountered an ambush staged by the terrorists along Gamboru – Mafa Road and gallantly fought through it, overpowering the insurgents,” he said.

    According to Nwachukwu, another issue in the controversial AI report is the alleged attack on Rann on Jan. 28.

    He said, whereas there was no such attack, rather, an alarm was raised by IDPs in Rann over the sudden withdrawal of troops under the MNJTF from the location, to which the authorities of Operation LAFIYA quickly responded.

    “The Commander Sector, Operation LAFIYA DOLE returned to Rann on Jan. 29, with reinforcement troops to beef-up and support the troops there.

    “The astronomical statistics of human casualty touted by AI and the alleged abdication of duty by our selfless and resilient troops cannot hold water in the face of facts.

    “Facts of the several exemplary physical involvements of the Theatre Commander and the Commander Sector 1 as well as Commanders of 22 Brigade and 3 Battalion in ensuring normalcy returns to Rann and the reinforcement and replenishment of the troops,” Nwachukwu said.

    He also blamed the organisation for inability to verify facts in the compilation of its report, adding that the organisation wrongly accused the military of wrongdoing.

    Nwachukwu noted that the troops deployed to the frontlines become victims of the insurgents’ attacks and sacrificed their lives in defense of the people and the country.

    He said the military authorities were deeply touched by the demise of those who fell during the insurgents’ attack in Rann and sympathised with humanitarian organisations and aid workers affected by the attack.

    The army spokesman stressed that the atrocities perpetrated by the insurgents was a clarion call to international and local communities to support the Nigerian military to enable it end insurgency and restore peace to the troubled region.

    Nwachukwu, who reiterated the commitments of the Army to defend the nation’s territorial integrity, protect life and property, said that the military would not be distracted from its duties by smear campaigns.

  • Zamfara killings: Take full, direct control, Saraki tells Buhari

    …says Security Agencies Must Change Strategy

     

    Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has described the killings in Zamfara State as barbaric, unacceptable and called on the security agencies to swiftly devise a strategy to put an end to the ugly situation.

    Saraki, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Yusuph Olaniyonu, stated that the situation in Zamfara State is a demonstration that unlike in 2015 when the only crisis point in the northern part of the country was the North-east zone, the North-west has today been engulfed by a bloody situation in which human lives are wasted on a daily basis.

    He said the killings have gone on for too long and the situation has not been given the desired attention as well as the right strategy that will stop it, adding that there was a clear indication of systemic failure.

    “There is need for certain and proper profiling of the situation so that we can know whether it is simple cattle rustling, vicious armed robbery on a large scale, religious cum ethnic crisis or invasion by foreign forces.

    “Our security agencies must immediately come out with a proper understanding of the situation, the right strategy and deployment of the necessary troops to tackle the menace. We must within the next few days send the right signals to the criminals in that area that the Nigerian State will no longer tolerate the on-going blood-letting.

    “We must immediately change our strategy. Also, the President has to take full, direct control. May be the President must widen the consultation within the armed forces on the search for solution to this problem. He must go beyond the first line military top brass. We need to get ideas from more sources than we presently do.

    “In 2014, I remember that President Jonathan was told that ‘you control the armed forces and you are the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of the Federal Republic, why should any part of the country be under occupation by criminals’. Why should we not apply the same logic to the occurrence in Zamfara today?

    “Just as we also flayed the pre-2015 government, the situation in Zamfara presents a picture of the government denying the citizens their fundamental rights to life and rights to own property. The government must correct this by stopping the carnage in Zamfara immediately.

    “It is a surprise that the Zamfara killings are not getting enough attention from the media and the non-governmental organisations. The Senate had sent an investigative team into the area a few months ago after Senator Kabiru Marafa raised a motion on the floor and as at then, we called on other security agencies to help the police in dealing with the matter.

    “It is expected that by now, the President would have arranged a meeting with leaders of the National Assembly, legislators, traditional rulers and other key stakeholders from the affected state, to exchange ideas and proffer lasting solutions to the issue. The key advantage of a democracy is that it provides for wide consultation and inclusion. No one person or group has all the monopoly of knowledge. We really need to do all that is possible to stop the carnage,

    “Let me use this opportunity to call on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately give a marching order to the various security agencies and tell them to give him progress report on a regular basis. There is need for us to use the Zamfara case to demonstrate to all criminal elements that the government will not tolerate those who hide under whatever guise to shed human blood in our country.

    “We should look at the Zamfara killings as a major threat to our democracy, particularly as we move towards election period in the next 50 days. We should not allow criminal elements to take over parts of the country. The situation in that state is an example of why we need to overhaul our security architecture in order to bring them to a state where they can tackle emerging challenges”, the Senate President stated.

  • Killings in Zamfara will affect Nigeria’s food security – FG

    The federal government says the persistent attacks on residents of Zamfara by bandits will affect food security in the country.

    The Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, said this on Wednesday in Gusau during an on-the-spot assessment of the activities of the bandits in the state.

    “Since those affected by the killings are largely the agrarian rural dwellers, the activities of the bandits will have a serious impact on agriculture and food security,” said Mr Dambazau.

    “This is a final warning, the bandits must stop these acts forthwith because the Federal Government has devised more stringent ways to deal with them.

    “I want to assure them that they cannot withstand the consequences.’’

    He said stakeholders in the security sector in the state would meet to fine tune the new measures that would be used in tackling the threat posed by the bandits.

    The minister, however, advised the hoodlums to immediately surrender and embrace peace.

    He expressed Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari’s condolences to the people of the state over the attacks.

    “This administration will continue to go to any length to protect the lives and properties of the citizens because any single innocent life lost has a devastating effect on the nation and is unacceptable,’’ he said.

    Responding, Sanusi Rikiji, who is the acting governor and speaker of the House of Assembly, lamented that the security situation in the state was getting out of hand and required the concerted efforts of all stakeholders.

    “This crisis started as a farmers /herdsmen conflict but has now escalated to the killing of the innocent, rustling and kidnapping,’’ he said.

    The acting governor, who commended the joint efforts of the security agencies at all the flashpoints, noted that the hoodlums had devised fresh tactics to evade confrontation with security personnel.

  • Killings: Your report about security situation in Nigeria is outdated, FG replies AI

    Killings: Your report about security situation in Nigeria is outdated, FG replies AI

    …blasts Atiku for ‘taking sides’

    The Federal Government on Thursday advised Amnesty International (AI) to update its report on the current security situation in Nigeria.

    The Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed who spoke in Abuja said contrary to AI’s claim, in all, 947 suspects have been arrested in connection with the farmers-herders clashes. Of the lot, 841 are being prosecuted. In fact, 68 of the accused persons have been convicted.

    The suspects were arrested in 11 states – Taraba, Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Niger, Zamfara, Adamawa, Yobe, Borno and Katsina.

    ”Let me say that I have gone through the statement by the Amnesty International on this. One thing they got right in their report is the cause of the killings. Amnesty said the root cause of this conflict has nothing to do with religion or ethnicity; and that it is largely about land and access to grazing.

    “That is correct and confirms what we have been saying that the clashes are a result of environmental factors that have made the contest for resources, especially land and water, very keen; demographic factors and, sometimes, sheer criminality.

    “But they are wrong, very wrong to suggest that the government has done nothing to stem the killings. I think their report is largely outdated.

    “Everyone knows that the killings resulting from the farmers-herders clashes, and indeed killings from cattle rustling and other causes, have gone down drastically. This didn’t happen by accident, but by a concerted and determined efforts by the Buhari Administration. Let me list some of the actions that led to the drastic reduction in the killings:

    • Deployment of a Joint Military Intervention Force (JMIF), comprising Regular and Special Forces personnel from the Army, Air Force and Navy, and working in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Security (DSS), and Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC).
    • Establishment of the Army’s 2 Battalion Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Kanfanin Doka Village, Birnin-Gwari, Kaduna State.
    • Establishment of a new Area Command and two additional Divisional Police Headquarters in the Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
    • Establishment by Nigerian Air Force of Quick Response Wings (QRW) in Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states, and deployment of Special Forces to these Quick Response Wings.
    • The inauguration, by the Nigeria Police Force, of a new Mobile Squadron in Takum, Taraba State and Operation ‘Whirl Stroke’, operating in Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba and Zamfara states, to tackle the menace of armed herdsmen, cattle rustlers, communal militias, kidnappers and other bandits.

    Mohammed also released a fact-sheet on the suspects arrested and prosecuted over the farmers-herders crises and those prosecuted.

    He said the records are available for Amnesty International to verify with the police and the court.

    He added: “Amnesty also accused the government of lethargy, saying this has allowed impunity to flourish. Again, they got it wrong

    “Apart from taking concrete measures to end the killings, as I have stated above, there have been arrests and prosecution of offenders. Let me give instances

    • Taraba: 49 arrested and 42 being prosecuted
    • Plateau: 43 arrested and 31 being prosecuted
    • Benue: 120 arrested, 81 prosecuted and 68 convicted
    • Niger: 47 arrested and 40 being prosecuted
    • Zamfara: 172 arrested and 162 being prosecuted
    • Nasarawa: 43 arrested and 40 being prosecuted
    • Adamawa: 38 arrested and 34 being prosecuted
    • Yobe: 42 arrested and 38 being prosecuted
    • Borno: 40 arrested and 36 being prosecuted
    • Katsina: 49 arrested and 46 being prosecuted
    • Kogi: 23 arrested and 20 being prosecuted
    • Operation Absolute Sanity in North-East and North-Central: 158 arrested and 150 being prosecuted
    • IGP’s Intelligence Response Team arrested 123 and prosecuting 121

    “You can now see that the alleged government inaction is not true. I think Amnesty International should update its report to reflect the present reality, which is that the killings from the herders-farmers clashes have thinned down because of concerted efforts by the FG and that perpetrators of the killings are being brought to justice.”

    The Minister condemned the PDP presidential candidate for claiming that killings will continue if Buhari is re-elected.

    He accused Atiku of bad faith and desperation for power.

    Mohammed said: “This amounts to politicisation of the killings and bad politicking and it is totally unacceptable. If it is indeed true that the former Vice President said that, it must be an act of desperation due to his floundering campaign. It is clear to all Nigerians that the electioneering campaign of the PDP presidential candidate has failed to gain traction.

    “From Sokoto to Ilorin to Ibadan to Gombe, it has been a disastrous outing for the campaign. With that magnitude of failure, anyone can say anything to stay afloat.”

    Mohammed denied a report by New York Times alleging indiscriminate killing of Shiite protesters in Abuja.

    He said the government has respect for the sanctity of life.

    Notwithstanding, he promised that the government will study the report and the video clip referred to by “New York Times”.

    He said: “I have read the report and watched the video. First, let me say that as an administration that believes in the sanctity of life and the rule of law, the Nigerian government does not and will never condone extrajudicial killings or the willful violation of the rights of its citizens.

    “This does not define who we are as a government. In this regard, the government will study the report and the video with a view to determining their authenticity and taking necessary actions.”

    He warned against a campaign of calumny to demoralise Nigerian troops

    “But the bigger picture must not be lost on us. There seems to be a choreographed campaign to demoralise our military. This is dangerous, considering their sacrifice, gallantry and patriotism. Thanks to our men and women in uniform, we sleep with our two eyes closed at night.

    “We must be careful not to do anything that will kill their morale, thus hampering the fight against terror, which they have prosecuted with tremendous success since this administration assumed office.

    “For example, when we suffered a setback recently with the killing of our troops in Metele by Boko Haram, we didn’t see the kind of outrageous reports that we normally see when Amnesty International or a section of the foreign media writes to condemn the Nigerian military. There was no widespread condemnation of Boko Haram.

    “I think the impression must not be given that our military is a target of attacks by the human rights organisations and the media, especially the foreign media.”

     

  • Ortom’s govt behind herdsmen’s killings in Benue – Akume

    Ortom’s govt behind herdsmen’s killings in Benue – Akume

    The Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Senator George Akume, claimed on Friday that the Benue State Government was behind the attacks by herdsmen in the state, which had consumed hundreds of lives.

    In the course of the relentless attacks, many villages were also reduced to rubble in Benue state.

    On January 1 alone, 75 lives were lost to the herdsmen in the state in one example among many that followed subsequently across several months.

    The Benue killings received both national and international condemnation, especially when the plight of thousands of Internally Displaced Persons became the sight of sadness and sorrows.

    But, Akume, a former Governor of the state, blamed the attacks on the state government.

    He spoke with State House correspondents shortly after he led a delegation of All Progressives Congress members from the state on a visit to President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The visit was primarily to assure Buhari that the party would mobilise support in Benue State for Buhari’s re-election in 2019.

    Responding to a question on the herdsmen, Akume replied, “When you talk about herdsmen and farmers’ clash, it is a story going good-bye Have you heard of farmers/herders clashes in Benue again? No.

    “We know those who were behind that; government was behind that. I am talking about the state government, through the livestock guards. They knew what was going on. So it is now a thing of the past.

    “Everything that is going there is fraudulent in Benue State and the people are simply tired on this misinformation that they have been receiving. The narrative has changed; it is not question of herdsmen, we are not talking about religious and ethnic bigotry, we are talking about performance of government.”

    A statement by his Special Adviser to President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, also said the President was unhappy that some states took bailout to pay salaries but still owed workers.

    On the herdsmen, the President was quoted as saying, “We know about herders. The ones we knew carried sticks, and sometimes cutlasses to cut foliage for their cattle. We now have people who carry AK 47s and pretend they are herdsmen.

  • I’m distressed, depressed by killings in Nigeria – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari says he is distressed and depressed by the ethno-religious killings in the country, appealing to Nigerians to learn to live together in peace and harmony.

    The president said this when he received leaders of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), led by Rev Dr Dachollom Datiri at the State House, Abuja, on Tuesday.

    Buhari urged religious, community and traditional leaders to do more in promoting peaceful co-existence among Nigerians.

    “As an organised institution (COCIN), I have no reason to doubt your report on the atrocities being committed in your communities including the killing of Idris Alkali, a retired Maj.-Gen., the dumping of his car into a pond and the body of the deceased thrown into a disused well.

    “The communities (in Plateau) have lived long enough to know that there is nothing they can do without each other than to live together in harmony.

    “As leaders, we must persuade the upcoming generation, using every channel particularly the educational institutions to live together with our neighbours.’’

    Buhari, who used the occasion to underscore the important role religious leaders’ play in engendering peace, lauded the exemplary role of the Imam in Plateau State who risked his life to save hundreds of Christian families fleeing attacks in June.

    “It is not all Muslims that are against Christians and neither are all Christians against Muslims.

    “The leadership in the respective religions have to work harder to make sure they convince the coming generation that they have to live together in the same country,’’ he said.

    Buhari assured the Christian delegation that he would continue to exert pressure on the Nigeria Police Force to do the needful in protecting lives and property.

    “In our security arrangement, the police is in the frontline in making sure that communities irrespective of ethnic or religious bias, live together in peace,’’ he said.

    He added that Nigeria could not afford to take its unity for granted and allow a return to the unfortunate perils of a civil war.

    In his remarks, Datiri, while condemning the recent killing of an Army General in the state, chronicled recent attacks against Christian communities in Plateau and neighbouring states, resulting in the displacement of thousands of persons.

    The cleric appealed to the Federal Government to ensure the safe return and rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their communities, in addition to the rebuilding of places of worship destroyed in the unfortunate incidents.

    The COCIN president also called on the Federal Government to take adequate measures in ensuring the release of Leah Sharibu and other abductees of Boko Haram terrorists.

    Datiri also requested the President to use his good offices to persuade some northern states to allocate land titles to Churches, in addition to directing the Ministry of Education to allow the teaching of Christian Religious knowledge in schools in the region.

    NAN

  • CAN to Buhari, El-Rufai: Bring those behind fresh Kaduna killings to justice

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Monday challenged the Federal and Kaduna State governments to end impunity in Kaduna by bringing masterminds of the killings there to justice.

    CAN expressed shock over the killing of the paramount ruler of Kachia, the Agom Adara, Dr Maiwada Galadima, and his security aide and driver by suspected kidnappers.

    The Christian body in a statement in Abuja on Sunday, by its media aide to CAN President, Pastor Bayo Oladeji, asked the government to stop politicising the crises and sanction those behind them.

    It said, “We have it on a good authority the killings in Adamawa, Benue and Plateau states in the last two years have been going unchecked as if nothing unusual is happening? Many were even unreported.

    “This is a sad commentary on the part of the government. Has Nigeria become a lawless state? Are those hoodlums better equipped and more organised than our security agencies?

    “We ask the political class to stop politicising the orgy of killings and for both state and Federal Governments to stop rationalising the mass killing of innocent Nigerians and sanction those responsible for this horrifying bloodshed.”

    CAN demanded an overhaul of the security architecture and replacement of the security chiefs.

    It also asked for the implementation of all the White Papers on ethno-religious uprisings in the country and the prosecution of those apprehended for the killings in Southern Kaduna two years ago.

    The group further demanded compensation for the bereaved and victims of all ethno-religious conflicts in the last five years.

  • Why killings continue in Nigeria unabated – U.S. Government

    Why killings continue in Nigeria unabated – U.S. Government

    The United States of America has explained why violence and killings in some part of the country have continued despite government’s efforts.

    It blamed the killings largely on the reign of impunity on the country.

    The American government also said the killings increased because the perpetrators were not punished.

    “The Nigerian government should strengthen its laws to deal with killers,” it advised.

    The US also urged the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure the conduct of a free, fair, transparent, peaceful and credible process of the 2019 general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

    “We want partners in ways to ensure that the kind of violence we have seen over the past months don’t flare up in any election”, the American government stated.

    The Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge de Affaires, US Embassy in Nigeria, David Young, expressed these views in an interview with journalists on Sunday night in Jos during his fellowship with church leaders in Plateau State.

    Young, who is said to be a key member of the Methodist Church in the US, was responding to questions on the solution to the ceaseless killings and crisis between farmers and Fulani herdsmen in Plateau State, after he delivered a sermon titled, ‘Living as a Christian in a multi-religious and multi-cultural context.’

    He also paid tribute to the 83-year-old Imam of Nghar village, Gashish District, Alhaji Abubakar Abdullahi, who reportedly saved 300 persons, including Christians when suspected Fulani herdsmen struck on June 24.

    The acting US Ambassador to Nigeria also reiterated the condolences of the Donald Trump’s administration to the families of those killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen who attacked some communities in the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.

    He said, “On behalf of the United States government and American people, I want to express again our condolences on the tragic loss of lives across Plateau, North-Central and North-West states. Quite a lot of people have died; it has been very terrible tragedies. We want to affirm the sanctity of human lives and anytime a person dies, it is a tragic loss, be that person a Christian, Muslim, Berom, farmer or herder.

    “I think it is clear, we know and government knows that as well. A lot of people are doing good things and working hard. But it needs to be even more because it is clear that there is a climate of impunity. When people are committing serious crimes, they get away with it, without being brought to justice.

    “It is so important that there should be very strong efforts to make sure that people are brought to justice for these terrible crimes. It is also important to address the drivers of conflicts, address opportunity, fight poverty and provide jobs and hope for young people because definitely young people are getting into terrible groups. They really need to be part of the future and as such need mentoring and parenting.”

     

  • TNG INVESTIGATION: Over 200 killed! Footprints of Plateau bloodbath in 10 minutes [Video]

    TNG INVESTIGATION: Over 200 killed! Footprints of Plateau bloodbath in 10 minutes [Video]

    Over 200 persons killed! The Berom community in Plateau State are still counting their losses in the mayhem that befell them on Friday, June 23, 2018.

    Many have been eternally separated from their loved ones, parents have had to bear the agony of burying their children, houses, cars have been razed, farms destroyed, churches, and other sacred meeting places and officials were also not spared in the wave of violence.

    Here is the highlights of the Plateau bloodbath in 10 minutes:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHt6IiXG_Lo&t=45s

  • TNG INVESTIGATION: Uncommon faith in Plateau: Christians defy killings, worship in burnt church [Video]

    TNG INVESTIGATION: Uncommon faith in Plateau: Christians defy killings, worship in burnt church [Video]

    By Adebayo Animasaun

    June 23, 2018, will remain a dreadful day to the people of Plateau State. It was the day gunmen, suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, invaded Gashish district communities, dominated by the Berom people, and killed over 200 persons, burnt houses and forced their inhabitants to take shelter at Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) camps.

    In the wake of the killings, Gashish district in Barkin-Ladi Local Government Area, where the highest number of deaths was recorded, has now become a ghost town occupied by cows and herders.

    The Protocol Officer (PRO) of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN), Regional Church Council, RCC, Gashish, Rev. Dyelman Davwar, inside his burnt apartment in the church premises.

    Reminiscing on how the killings started, The Protocol Officer (PRO) of the Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN), Regional Church Council, RCC, Rev. Dyelman Davwar, said Fulani militia, armed with sophisticated weapons and machetes, launched attack in Nghar village while women, children, and the aged were asleep.

    Speaking with bitterness, he said the attack started in the afternoon of the previous day at about 3 pm, when mourners returning from the burial of a 90-year-old man who attended their church were ambushed and massacred by the Fulani militia.

    Afterwards, the murderous gunmen, according to Davwar, moved into villages and began to set homes ablaze. He recalled that as some of the people rushed out in a bid to escape, they were mercilessly shot dead or cut down with machetes.

    A burnt vehicle …

    Some reports had indicated that the attacks were likely reprisals for cows allegedly stolen by youths from the Berom community in the previous three weeks.

    Following the attacks, on Sunday, June 24, angry Berom youths erected barricades on the Jos-Abuja highway and attacked motorists who they believed to be Fulani or Muslims.

    In Kakuruk community, one of the affected areas, the COCIN church in Gashish was one of the buildings torched by the assailants. However, in spite of their agony and losses, worshippers of the COCIN continue to meet for fellowship.

    On the day TheNewsGuru.com’s correspondent visited the remains of the burnt place of worship, the ceilings were gone and one could see the heavens through the destroyed rooftop. 15 worshippers, undeterred by the destruction and the possibility of another attack, were in attendance.

    Their countenances depicted that they were mourning, yet they sang soulfully and danced amid rows of burnt wooden chairs. The crashing noise of their feet on the debris, accompanied by the claps of the hands, provided a sweet rhythm, as all music instruments had also been burnt. Afterwards, the congregants listened to a moving sermon from Rev. Danjuma Bwede.

    Pastors on the run, economic activities paralysed – Rev. Bwede

    Inside the the burnt apartment of Rev. Stephen Danjuma Bwede, Chairman RCC Gashish, COCIN

    At the end of the church service on Sunday, July 29, Rev. Stephen Danjuma Bwede, Chairman RCC Gashish, COCIN, lamented that so many clergies in the Gashish district were now on the run.

    He said the deadly attack had reduced the number of persons who attended church services and paralysed economic activities in the community.

    Bwede recalled, “We lost about four Churches; we also lost one clergyman here in RCC (name not mentioned). Until his death, he was our secretary here in RCC Gashish.

    “We have some pastors who are not living here; they have already relocated to some places like Hepang and Jos. I also no longer have a home here because my house was burnt down. Even my Reverend does not stay here.”

    Remains of the burnt Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) church RCC, Gashish

    The chairman lamented, “In fact, we live from hand to mouth because we don’t have any sufficient economic cum social activities here. Our farms and houses have been destroyed.

    “Government has promised that a police barrack will be established here. We want government to take proactive measures to fulfill that promise”

    Bwede appealed to the government to find measures to quickly resettle the victims, stressing that people were not well cared for at the IDP camps.

    Killings politically motivated, targeted at Christian community – Davwar

    Rev. Dyelman Davwar, who narrated the ordeal faced by victims on the deadly night, however, said the killings were politically motivated.

    Asked why he described the invasion as a religious attack, he replied, “I said the attack also has religious undertone because any time they operated, they never spared churches and their pastorium; they are almost the first target. They killed our pastors who are not even indigenes of Gashish.”

    Davwar also alleged that the government at the centre was doing everything to reduce Christian population in order to have more of Muslims, whom they perceive will give them the desired votes come the 2019 general elections.

    Burnt pulpit: COCIN church, RCC, Gashish District, Plateau.

    Davwar said, “Many Christians here in Plateau see the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), as a pro-Islamic party because President Muhammadu Buhari is a Muslim and security operatives under his administration have not been fair to us. They have equally failed us and we see it as deliberate because they have an agenda that is best known to them.”

    Davwar thanked God for the survivors. He praised security operatives who conveyed some of the affected families to the IDP camp in Hepang, Barkin Ladi and the Geoscience camp in Anguldi, Jos South, among others. He appealed to the government to ensure that they bring them back to their homes in the villages.

    Speaking for the federal government, Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo who visited Plateau state few days after the incident disproved the assertion that the killing was politically motivated.

    Osinbajo while briefing journalists following a meeting with the warring communities in the state said the crisis is historical.

    His words; “A lot of the crises are not a year old or two years old. Many of these crises are almost historical in terms of the number of years that they have continued to manifest themselves. Some have been 10 years ago, some even much earlier.

    “It doesn’t matter whether these killings are by herdsmen or villagers or whether it is villagers who in one way or the other have killed others. It is important that we condemn these killings”.

    The Vice President, however, assured victims of the unrest that the perpetrators will not go unpunished.

    He added, “I think it’s important that there is justice. Those who have been killed cannot just be killed and we allow that to just go by. It’s not acceptable at all. It is our duty to ensure that these individuals are prosecuted and I want to assure you that we will do so. We will make sure that those who have been arrested are duly prosecuted and that others who are engaged in this heinous conduct are also arrested and prosecuted”.