By; BUHARI B. BELLO, Jos
Police command in Plateau State has confirmed the arrest of a herdsman who was apprehended with a military AK 47 rifle.
Terna Tyopev, the command’s spokesman, who confirmed the arrest on Sunday, March 11, in Jos, gave the rifle’s number as HC2614.
Tyopev said that the herdsman, whose name was given as Muhammadu Musa Bimini, was arrested by mobile policemen on March 8, at Daffo adding that the suspect had been transferred from Bokkos to the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Jos and was already being interrogated.
The police spokesperson also confirmed that 16 people were killed in the multiple attacks on several villages that took place between Wednesday, March 7, and Friday, March 9 and that the command had deployed more personnel to restore peace to the troubled areas.
He advised the people to remain calm and avoid taking laws into their hands.
We also reported that leaders of the affected communities have said that 25 people were killed in the attacks.
Represented by Rev Mamot Adams and Macham Makut, the report quoted the community as saying that the bodies of those killed were recovered and given two mass burials in two batches.
The community leaders blamed the attacks on “our Fulani neighbours,”
according to reuters which also said they listed villages attacked to include Nghakudung, Shilim, Morok, Mandung, Faram, Filla and Hotom.
Also attacked were Dai, Kungul, Hurum, Dahua, Malul, Warrem, Josho and Gando.
The leaders said that more than 5,000 people had been displaced, adding that some of them were in camps run by churches just as they called on security agencies to intervene toward halting the attacks so as to restore permanent peace to the communities.
“We want government to take urgent steps to end the attacks because our youths are already agitated,” he said.
