Suspected Fulani herdsmen have reportedly killed 14 people, including a soldier, in separate attacks in Plateau, Taraba and Kaduna states.
In the Plateau attack, four people including a soldier, were confirmed dead when Fulani herdsmen attacked the Riyom Local Government Area of the state on Monday.
It was gathered that an attack on the remote Kagboro community in the Riyom Local Government Area of the state took place at noon on Monday and lasted for many hours.
This, the residents said, accounted for the high level of destruction in the community.
Villagers said over 300 herdsmen, who stormed the village, shot sporadically and burnt houses including a government-owned clinic after they had overpowered the vigilantes who tried to resist the attackers.
However, the lawmaker representing the Riyom Constituency in the state House of Assembly, Timothy Datong, confirmed the incident to one of our correspondents in Jos on Tuesday.
Datong, who condemned the incident, said he had concluded plans to raise the issue at the House of Assembly.
The lawmaker said, “I can confirm to you that four of our people including a security personnel were killed during the incident. Many were also wounded. We have also counted at least 54 houses that were completely burnt down by the attackers.
“It was the heavily armed Fulani people numbering over 300 that came to attack our people. I am going to present the issue as a matter of urgent public importance before the House of Assembly members when we reconvene because this thing cannot be allowed to continue.
“The invasion started around 12 noon on Monday and did not stop until more than four hours. I was in touch with the commander of the special task force in charge of security in the state and he assured me he was going to mobilise his men. I was surprised by the extent of destruction that eventually occurred in the community.”
However, the Plateau State House of Assembly on Tuesday set up a committee to review the crisis situation in the state and come up with ways on how to solve the problem.
The committee headed by the lawmaker representing Pankshin North Constituency, Philip Peter, was set up in the wake of the latest gunmen attack in Riyom area of the state.
Datong, who confirmed the development, told one of our correspondents in Jos on Tuesday that the committee had four weeks to submit its report.
Also, three children were on Tuesday confirmed killed, following an attack by suspected Fulani herdsmen on Ungwan Rimi community in the Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The Kaduna Police Command, while confirming the attack, said the incident took place around 2.45 pm on Monday.
A source told one of our correspondents that the attackers invaded the community in a commando style, shooting intermittently at anyone in sight, killing no fewer than three children.
The three kids died on the spot while several others sustained varying degrees of injury.
The Kaduna State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Yakubu Sabo, who confirmed the incident in a statement, gave the names of the children killed as Monday Yahaya, Samson David and Ashimile Danladi.
The statement read, “Information reaching us reveals that on June 17, 2019 at about 2.25pm, the Divisional Police Officer of Kauru Police Station, received a distress call that armed men entered Unguwan Rimi village, Chawai District of the Kauru LGA and started shooting sporadically and in the process shot dead one Monday Yahaya 8, Samson David 17, and Ashimile Danladi 9 years.
“Teams of policemen quickly moved to the area, evacuated the dead bodies to the hospital and ensured that the situation was brought under control.
“Preliminary investigations later revealed that the attack might not be unconnected with the attack of Fulani camp early in the morning of the same date in the area.
“However, efforts are on to apprehend the perpetrators and the command has intensified patrols and other proactive measures to forestall further breach of the peace in the area.”
Meanwhile, herdsmen also attacked the Ardo Kola Local Government Area of Taraba State and killed seven people.
It was gathered that six people were killed in Janibanibu in Ardo Kola LGA near Jalingo when armed herdsmen invaded the village at about 6pm on Monday.
The Parish Priest of St. John the Baptist Pastoral Area, Rev. Fr. Cyriacus Kama, told newsmen on Tuesday that seven people were killed in the Janibanibu village by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
He said, “I am in Janibanibu village now. We have recovered seven dead bodies and we are making efforts to give them a mass burial with the support of the soldiers who are with us in the village.
“The situation is still very tense. Many houses have been burnt and there is threat of possible attack again by the armed Fulani militia who are threatening to attack Kona village.”
A security man, who confided in The PUNCH, said seven people were killed in an ambush at the border between Tor-Damisa and Akate villages in the Donga Local Government Area of the state.
The security officer, who participated in the evacuation and burial of seven persons killed in the ambush, said seven corpses were recovered and buried on Tuesday.
The seven Tiv farmers killed in the attack were said to be on their way to their farms, weeks after they fled the area when they were first attacked. It was, however, not clear if the Tiv farmers were killed by herdsmen.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, David Misal, told journalists that only five people were killed in the Janibanibu attack, while one person was killed in an attack around the Wukari-Donga border.
The Police Public Relations Officer said, “Five people were killed in the attack on Janibanibu near Jalingo. I am not aware of the killing of seven persons in Donga.
“The information I have indicates that there was an attack on a village in Donga and one person was killed,” he said.