Attack in Zawan – Jos South

Reports available to ViewPointNigeria indicates that, the police in Plateau State have killed one of the suspected gunmen who killed four people in a recent attack on two communities of Zawan in Jos South Local Government Area of the state.

The spokesperson of the state police command, Abuh Emmanuel, revealed this in an interview in Jos.

He said the police gunned down one of the suspected gunmen, while attempting to escape after killing four people in a Jos community.

Speaking, he said “The first attack happened around Funna ranch where the suspects were said to have gone to rustle cattle, killing two people. As they opened fire on the two people who were at the ranch, the sound of gun-shot alarmed soldiers from the checkpoint by the NDA base camp and they moved promptly to the scene, returning fire and killing one of the suspects”.

As the remainder of the suspects fled the scene, they went towards HBC resorts in the Kwata area, where in the mindset of flight opened fire and killed two people who were sat outside eating at an eatery. One of the victims was a graduate of the Ahmadu  Bello University, Zaria, Nanmwa Bongdul who died alongside his neighbour.

Speaking further, the police spokesman said – “The sad incident occurred at about 1:00 hours on Friday. Four persons were killed. A brave woman who lounged towards one of the suspects are they carried out their dastardly act, was injured, and she has been taken to hospital for medical attention.

“Security operatives, in prompt response, went to the scene and exchanged gunfire with the suspects. One of them was killed.

“Others are on the run, but we are trailing them. We shall get them arrested,” he said.

Mr. Abuh however said no arrest was made, but they were investigating the matter.

“We are investigating those behind the dastardly act. We are on their trail, we shall arrest them,” he assured.

Attack in Rim – Riyom LGA

Meanwhile, reports available to ViewPointNigeria indicates that four more persons were on Thursday morning (8th October 2015) ambushed and killed at 10am around Chevelnyap in Rim, Riyom Local Government Area of the State. The killing in Rim was in a similar fashion to others that have been witnessed lately. The victims were on their farms when they were waylaid and killed.

The quagmire of Buhari’s strange silence on the attacks

As it stands, more people are being killed in Jos by Fulani militia than they currently are in Borno state. The military in the past few months have scored considerable gains in the fight against Boko Haram and only a few fringe attacks are currently occurring.

With the high number of attacks being recorded in Plateau everyday, Buhari has not released a single statement or made a policy decision in this regard. Could this be because his kinsmen are fingered as the culprits or could it be that he endorses what is happening. It is no secret that Buhari is one of the grand patrons of the Myetti Allah cattle breeders association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and therefore is a key stakeholder knows of all that is happening. So it is rather strange that the president has maintained “graveyard silence” on this escalating attacks even though we know that he’d be receiving briefings from his kinsmen and MACBAN (in his position as grand patron of Myetti Allah) and also the SSS (in his position as President of the Federal Republic).

It would interest you to know that the last time Buhari released a statement about happenings in Jos, it was in respect of the Chlorine explosion disaster in Jos where 11 people were killed. Perhaps it was easy and convenient for the president to release such a statement because it does not relate to his kinsmen.

What needs to be done?

Legislators from Plateau need to understand the scale of the problem at hand. They need to huddle together and come up with a plan of action and strategy on how to break the president’s “pretence of silence” and get him to act accordingly. This problem is already threatening our Plateau way of life, values, culture and source of livelihood. Several people cannot go to their farms for fear of being ambushed. Traders cannot sell their produce for the same fears of being killed etc.

As it stands, the Fulani attacks have transcended Plateau and the middle belt and have extended to parts of the southwest with the recent kidnap of Olu Falae in his farm in the South west. Thus – there is a healthy awareness in the Nigerian-sphere about what is happening, so our legislators need to grab this opportunity.

Dr. Chinan Mclean

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8 people killed in Zawan and Rim villages of Plateau North