No fewer than 500 people, including at least 100 children and women have been killed in Dogon Na Hawa, a Berom village in Jos-South Local Government Area of Plateau State, North-Central Nigeria where herdsmen unleashed mayhem in the early hours of Sunday.
Security reports say that more than 95 armed herdsmen have been arrested in connection with the violence, just as Nigeria placed its security agencies on red alert.
The attackers woke up the mining village when everybody was asleep, setting fire to the houses, shooting and killing the residents at random.
The Chairman of Jos South Local Government, Mr. Moses Dalyop, described those who carried out the attacks were heartless and barbaric.
“They are inhuman. You can see that even one-year old children were killed outside in their houses. You can see they were trying to run for their lives apart from those that were burnt inside.
“We are aware the military has taken over the internal security of this state. It is clear that the military has failed in this instance because, there is curfew and these people did it during curfew hours. Where were the military ? They have not done their job”.
The Gbong Gwom Jos, (traditional ruler), Dr Jacob Buba, who also visited the gory scene, described the act as “man’s inhumanity to man”.
“We got messages all the time about threats, about movement of people and the security agencies were alerted accordingly. But, how this was allowed to happen, I am not in a position to say. It is sad, absolutely sad. We cannot continue like this, we are not animals,” he said.
The State government officially said that over 500 people were slaughtered in the attack, as the State Commissioner for Information, Gregory Yenlong, briefed the media.
“You can see how cruel some human beings can be. You can see how heartless human beings can be to fellow human beings. You can see how innocent children, women and the aged have been slaughtered.
“Over 500 people were killed. We appeal to the people to be calm but we have no option than to ask the people to be patient as the government steps up security to protect lives and property in the State.
“It is unfortunate, that even children sucking their mothers’ breasts were murdered in cold blood. It is unfortunate,” Yenlong added.
According to Yenlong, the State government will give the victims a mass burial as soon as all their corpses were recovered from the bushes as some of them have been burnt beyond recognition.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Plateau Police Command, Muhammed Lerama, confirmed the incident but declined further comments as he said the Acting Police Commissioner, Ikechukwu Aduba, was going to address the press on the matter.
Source African Press Agency
African News from NetNewsPublisher.com
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