Jonah Jang, Governor of Plateau State in north-central Nigeria has blamed the Sunday massacre in Dogo Nahawa near Jos on the army, accusing the army of turning a blind eye while innocent women and children were “slaughtered by herdsmen” in the guise of ethno-religious crisis.
Governor Jang told journalists in Abuja that he had called the Commandant of the army in Jos, asking him to deploy troops to the area as security reports talked of suspected movement of persons even with the curfew in place.
Jang explained that when the attackers eventually started setting houses on fire, he called the telephones of the relevant security agents but none responded.
He insisted that no fewer than 500 persons were killed in the mayhem.
Meanwhile, the President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed disappointment with the handling of the crisis and said those behind the heinous crime should be made to face the law instantly.
The Congress noted that given the frayed emotions and fragile nature of security due to the previous riots and particularly the very recent one, appropriate preventive measures ought to have been put in place to monitor movements in all the nooks and crannies of the state.
“We condemn in absolute terms this brutal massacre of women and children in the early hours of Sunday.
“We are disturbed by the inability of both the Federal and state authorities to ensure the security of lives and property in Plateau State especially in villages said to be a few kilometers away from Government House.
“The fact that the state government, and the Federal Government in particular which exclusively controls security agencies in the country allowed a recurrence of this massacre is a clear sign of failure of leadership,” the NLC said.
Source African Press Agency
African News from NetNewsPublisher.com
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