The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Fulani

  • 32 killed as Fulani gunmen attack Plateau villages

    32 killed as Fulani gunmen attack Plateau villages

    Thirty-One people were killed yesterday when suspected Fulani gunmen attacked Bolgan, Karkashi and Magama villages in Langtang South Local Government Area of Plateau State.

    The suspected Fulani gunmen allegedly invaded the villages in the early hours of yesterday, setting several homes ablaze.

    At the time of filing this report, over 3,000 displaced persons from the villages had relocated to Mabudi, the headquarters of the local government.

    Most of them were occupying primary schools and markets for shelter. Majority of them were women, children and the aged.

    Most of the primary and secondary schools in Mabudi were closed down to allow the displaced persons have shelter.

    It was learnt that secondary school pupils, who are writing their National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations were mostly affected by the attack.

    Mathew Ponfa, a resident of Mabudi, said he lost two of his younger brothers and his sister-in-law to the attack.

    According to him, several households in the villages could not find their relations.

    Ponfa said scores of villagers were still combing the bushes in desperate search for their relatives.

    An eyewitness said the gunmen chased their victims on motorcycles and shot them at close range.

    Bolgang, it was learnt, was razed down by the gunmen after they killed nine residents. Other residents escaped to different directions.

    The attackers killed the villagers and burnt their homes as men of the Special Task Force (STF) on Jos Crises, code-named Operation Safe Haven, reportedly failed to respond to the villagers’ distress calls.

    A source said the casualties would have been minimal, if the troops had responded early when they were told the gunmen were on their way to attack the villages.

    It was also learnt that the death toll at Magama was the highest. The victims were said to be mostly children and the aged.

    Rev. Nandip Miri, the chairman of the Regional Church Council (RCC) of the Church of Christ in Nation (COCIN), said he lost his aged father and brother, among other relatives, in the attack.

    The senator representing Plateau South in the National Assembly, Victor Lar, expressed shock over the renewed violence.

    He described the situation as unfortunate. The senator noted that the government has done all it could to restore peace in the zone.

    Lar urged the people to remain calm and cooperate with security agencies, who he said are empowered to deal with such situations.

    But the police command said it had not been briefed on the attack and could, therefore, not confirm the casualty figure.

    The Chairman, Management Committee of Langtang South Local Government Area, Nanman Darko, however, confirmed the attack.

    He said over 32 people from the local government were killed by the suspected Fulani gunmen.

    The council chief explained that following his report to the STF, troops were moved to the affected villages to restore order and prevent further attacks.

    Darko said yesterday’s attack was the worst the residents had witnessed in recent time.

    He described the gunmen as heartless and barbaric.

  • Six killed in Fulani, Plateau communal clash

    Six killed in Fulani, Plateau communal clash

    Six people, including a village head, Muhammad Abubakar, have been killed in a clash among Tarok, Fulani and Jukun ethnic groups of Wase Local Government of Plateau State.

    Several other residents were injured.

    A member of the community told our correspondent that but for the prompt intervention of men of the Special Task Force on Jos Crises, code-named Operation Safe Haven, the casualties would have been more.

    It was learnt that one person was killed and three others injured in Wase town when armed youths attempted to invade the community between 6am and 11am. They were reportedly repelled by the task force.

    STF spokesman Capt. Salisu Mustapha said the clash was linked to an earlier attack on Friday night in Taka Lafiya, a village under the same Wase Local Government.

    The village head was reportedly killed during the Friday attack.

    In an earlier attack at Nin Duwi on Sunday night, two other persons were also killed and 16 huts set ablaze.

    The late Abubakar and an elderly blind man, who was simply identified as Umar, were allegedly shot dead on Friday night when suspected militants invaded and set the village ablaze.

    Capt. Mustapha said a group of youths, also suspected to be from Wase town, launched a reprisal attack in Duwi village, killing two persons. He said this led to yesterday’s attack on Wase.

     

  • Suspected Fulani herdsmen kill seven in Benue community

    Suspected Fulani herdsmen on Wednesday killed seven people and burnt several homes in attacks on five villages near Udei in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.

    The villages include Tse-Nyamkyume, Tse-Ama, Tse-Uto, among others.

    The attackers reportedly invaded the villages as early as 6am when unsuspecting farmers, the majority residents, had left their homes for their farms.

    Six bodies were recovered by a detachment of soldiers from the 72 Army Battalion, who were deployed in Udei to restore peace.

    The victims include Mr. Uchana Tongov, Yemetse Mtsenem, Mrs. Umar Aperaku and her little boy, Terkimbi. Others are: Ihumban Gwarche and Moses Boniface.

    Mrs. Maaga Simeon escaped death but sustained deep cuts on her body. Scores of other residents were displaced.

    During an on-the-spot assessment of the situation, a member of the House of Assembly, Avine Agbom, who was accompanied by Mr. Matthew Mnyam, a resident of Udei, condemned the killings and destruction of property by the suspected herdsmen.

    The lawmaker blamed the killings on Nasarawa State Government.

    He alleged that the assailants camped in the neighbouring state and attacked Tiv farmers in Benue State.

    Agbim urged both states to implement the report of a peace committee they set up last year to end attacks in the area.

    The lawmaker also called for the establishment of camps at Udei, Igyungu Aze, Daudu and Agan as well as the Local Government Primary School at North Bank, where over 100,000 displaced persons can be cared for by the Benue State Government.

    He appealed to the fleeing farmers to remain calm and await government directive on the incident.

    Agbom hailed the leader of the military detachment, simply identified as Capt Shola, for the military’s prompt intervention and for bringing the bodies of the deceased home for burial.

    The lawmaker called for an end to the crisis.

    Police spokesman Daniel Ezeala, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said seven people were killed in the attack.

    Ezeala said the police have deployed their men in the area.

  • Fulani, Berom leaders meet on Plateau killings

    Leaders of Fulani and Berom communities in Plateau State met yesterday in Jos, the state capital, after years of clashes that have resulted in several casualties on both sides in parts of the state.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that efforts to bring together the fighting communities had been unsuccessful. But with the bloodbath taking its toll on both sides, they finally agreed to talk yesterday.

    Senator Gyang Pwajok (PDP, Plateau) spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after the meeting hosted by Police Commissioner Chris Olapke.

    The senator said it was a “very fruitful discussion that was very revealing”.

    Pwajok added: “Both sides aired their grievances and appeared finally willing to reach a truce. The Fulani accused the Berom of killing and rustling their cows and the Special Task Force (STF), which is charged with maintaining the peace in Plateau State, of complicity in the killing of their people. The Fulani also wanted unmitigated access to grazing fields for their cattle.

    “On their part, the Berom leaders accused the Fulani of destroying their farmlands and killing farmers working on their farms in addition to midnight attacks. Incidentally, the Berom also accused the STF of taking sides with the Fulani to unleash mayhem on its people. In fact, both groups called for the removal of the STF commanders in Riyom and Barkin-Ladi, the two areas most hit by the violence.”

    Pwajok, who promised to play the “very crucial role of mediating between the feuding communities”, said he had begun personal contacts with key leaders from both sides to win their confidence.

    He said: “From the tone of the submissions by both groups, I suspect there are external mercenaries fuelling the violence because the two communities have been together for centuries. So, clearly, an external force must have infiltrated them.

    “What I suspect is that some external parties could destroy blooming farms or kill cows because they are sure that either of the parties will go for the jugular of the other to vent their anger, when that is done. Also, the brutality and persistence of the attacks, the sophisticated weapons from both sides suggest that the locals are not alone.”

    He said, however, that the most frightening dimension was the total destruction of settlements, the emergence of new ones to replace them and increasing impunity in the exchange of gun fire.

    “We also have cases of women attacking security men or taking over the road to prevent them from reaching crises zones.

    “I also suspect the infiltration of Boko Haram elements into the area and this appears to be worsening the threat, while some other communities are also grieving over the complete lack of basic infrastructure,” he said.

    The senator said that leaders of both communities were asked to proffer possible solutions to the disputes and table same at a roundtable conference slated for April 29.

    “At that meeting, we shall have a solution-drive interface. With the frankness exhibited by both sides, I think we are heading somewhere,” he stated.

    Pwajok, however, cautioned the groups against equating human lives with animals and expressed reservation over a situation where people would consistently brandish figures of animals

  • Senator offers relief to victims of Fulani attack

    Senator Nenadi Usman (Kaduna South) has donated relief materials to victims of Fulani attack in four southern Kaduna villages penultimate weekend that left about 28 people dead.

    The victims of the attack are currently taking refuge at the Model Primary School in Fadan Attakar, Kaura Local Government Areas of the state.

    Usman said genuine peace can be achieved if people support efforts by government to ensure peace and security.

    She condemned the spate of violent attacks on southern Kaduna villages in recent times and expressed concerns that criminal gangs have been allowed to invade the communities to unleash terror on the people with impunity.

    The lawmaker appealed to the people to continue to live in peace and accommodate one another.

    She said: “As a woman and a mother, I understand the pains and anguish that have befallen the Attakar community hence my effort in bringing some relief materials.”

     

  • 19 killed as gunmen attack Kaduna village

    Barely 24 hours after the umbrella body of the southern Kaduna people, the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union raised an alarm of Fulani herdsmen flooding their community, about 19 persons have been reportedly killed and four villages displaced in Kaura local government area of the state.
    The affected villages of Mafang, Zilang, Taliki and Zangkan which are southern Kaduna villages are on the border between Kaduna and Plateau state.
    Chairman of Kaura local government, Kumai L.J Badun attributed the killing to gunmen suspected Fulani herdsmen apparently on a revenge mission over the poisoning of two cows at Mafang Village.
    The local government chairman told journalists that the attack was first to take place in Atakar Chiefdom, saying “there was a young man, Aboi Stephen (21), in Mafan who had been complaining that some cattle have been grazing into his dry season farm.
    “I was told that the cattle destroyed a good portion of the farm, and that there was no end in sight to the destruction. Only the Fulanis own cattle there. About two weeks ago, two cows were found death, apparently of poison. The owner of the cows was said to have publicly warned Aboi of the grave consequences of his actions. I don’t know if it was Aboi that poisoned the cows or not or even if they had died of poisoning.”
    Spokesman of the Kaduna state police command, DSP Aminu Lawal, confirmed the incident, but declined to give the number of the dead, saying “I know that there was an attack in the two villages you mentioned at the weekend, I know that people were killed, some were injured, but I am not in a position to tell you the number of those killed for now, but I will let you know soon.
    “The two villages are neighbouring the troubled areas in Plateau state, located on the hilly and rocky areas of Kaura local government bordering Plateau and Kaduna state.
    “The area has a very difficult terrain, but a joint task force comprising that military and the police have been dispatched to the area to maintain order and to fish out those behind the distardly act” Lawan said.
    Kaduna state governor, Alhaji Mukhtar Yero has however directed security agencies in the state do everything possible to bring the perpetrators of such inhuman act to justice.