Scores killed as gunmen unleash terror in Kaduna, Plateau

Nigeria, a war front, disgrace to the world, says Danjuma

BY ORIAKU IJELE

Gunmen continued their streak of havoc in coordinated attacks visited on residents of Kaduna and Plateau sates respectively, resulting in the death of scores of innocent citizens.

Saturday Times gathered that in Plateau the Police Command confirmed that gunmen attacked and killed 13 persons in some communities of Bokkos and Mangu Local Government Areas of the state.

Alfred Alabo, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the command disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Jos.

Alabo said that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Emmanuel Adesina, who visited Bokkos, condoled with the families of the deceased persons.

“The command wants to inform you that in the recent attack in Mangu, 11 people lost their lives, and three others injured in Bokkos.

“The commissioner wants the people of Plateau to know that all hands are on deck to make sure that this menace is nipped in the bud.

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“He has already made deployment to those general areas and he has gone to see things for himself.

“He has also been briefed on the previous security arrangement and what he needs to do at this particular point in time,” he said.

Alabo also said that the command worked with other security agencies toward ensuring that insecurity in all parts of the state was nipped in the bud.

Within the week too, at least 23 people were reportedly killed by bandits, who attacked the Anguwar Danko community near Dogon Dawa district in the Eastern part of Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

During the invasion, eyewitnesses said bandits started shooting sporadically to scare residents, and in the process, more than 20 persons were shot to death.

He disclosed that while five people sustained varying degrees of injuries from gunshots, some other residents are still missing after the attack.

Meanwhile the Plateau State Government has condemned the attack on Chikam, a community neighbouring the Plateau State University in Bokkos Local Government Area where three persons including a student of the school were killed.

According to the Plateau State Commissioner for Information and Communication Musa Ashoms, the killing which prompted protests by students, was saddening.

“People just in their sleep lose their lives. So, we are using this opportunity to call on security agencies,” he said.

“They have done really well but we are urging them to redouble their steps to do more in the area of arresting and prosecuting the perpetrators of this evil because we would be going back and forth if we do not have any arrests after all these attacks.”

The students of Plateau State University in Bokkos went on a protest following the death of the 200-level Computer Science student of the institution who was residing in Chikam.

But it took the intervention of security operatives to stop the protest.

In the aftermath of the attack, the school’s management declared a two-day mourning and suspended all examinations scheduled for the period.

Irked by the unfolding scenario playing out in most parts of the country, former Chief of Army Staff, Gen TY Danjuma, has described the scenario as ‘disgraceful’.

According to him, Nigeria has become a laughing stock globally and the citizens must stop killing themselves and make the roads and homes safe for development to thrive.

“As we are today as Nigeria we are a disgrace to the whole world. The country is a war front; our people are against our own people. We must put our own house in order because right now we are a laughing stock to the whole world,” the former minister told a gathering at the Nwonyo International Fishing and Cultural Festival in the Ibi Local Government Area of Taraba State on Friday.

“We must stop killing each other. We must make our roads safe, our homes safe, must stop kidnappings. There is no sane foreign person that will come to our country to celebrate with us if we continue to kill each other and make our roads unsafe for people to move around.”