Curfew In Plateau As Herdsmen Kill ‘Close To 100’ In Three Local Governments

LADI CHOJI, CHAIRMAN OF BEROM YOUTH MOVEMENT, TOLD REPORTERS THAT CLOSE TO 100 PERSONS WERE KILLED WHILE HOUSES, INCLUDING CHURCHES, WERE TORCHED.

Solomon Lalong, Governor of Plateau State, has imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on Riyom, Barkin Ladi and Jos South local government areas of the state, following killing of “close to 100” people on Saturday night by suspected herdsmen.

Rufus Bature, Secretary to the State Government, announced the curfew on Sunday afternoon, saying movement in the three local government areas would be restricted between 6pm and 6am for all, save those on “essential duties”.

Ladi Choji, Chairman of Berom Youth Movement, told reporters that close to 100 persons were killed while houses, including churches, were torched.

He said 31 corpses were recovered from Gashish village, 42 others from different villages in Barkin Ladi.

The attacks were blamed on suspected herdsmen.

“I believe that this attack was carefully planned by the herdsmen in collaboration with some military personnel who aided the attack,” he said.

“We have recovered 34 corpses from Gana Ropp and eight from Gashis while several others have not been recovered.

“The corpses would be close to 100 because apart from 42 corpses that we have recovered, we are mobilising people to go into the villages to pick other corpses that have not been recovered.”

Mathias Tyopev, spokesman of the Plateau State Police Command, confirmed the incident but could not give casualty figure, while Yakubu Dati, Commissioner of Information, said government had mobilised the full complement of security forces to restore normalcy to the affected areas.

Government is deeply pained that despite concerted efforts which had led to the restoration of relative peace across the state, some unpatriotic elements are bent on disrupting the gains so far made,” he said in a statement.