At least three youths have been killed in a fresh attack which occurred in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.
According to The PUNCH, the Chairman of Community Peace Observers in Bokkos LG, Kefas Mallai, confirmed the death of the three youths in a statement.
Mallai said, “Three youths from Angwan Hausawa, Bokkos town: Lurwan Ismail (Ron Muslim), Muhammadu Tuka (Ron Muslim), and Mayo (Mwaghavul Christian), were killed yesterday( Friday) at Lut, one of the communities earlier attacked by assailants on Christmas eve.
“They went there to pick up their loved ones (Fulanis) who escaped to Bokkos town as IDPs when they were killed. Their bodies earlier seen are now missing.”
In a statement issued on Saturday, titled “Plateau killing: One too many and the need for state police”, Jang said the Federal Government must do everything possible to stop further attacks and killings in the state and other parts of the country
The statement signed by his Media consultant, Clinton Garuba, noted, “It is with a grieving heart that Senator Jonah David Jang wishes to commiserate with the families that lost loved ones during the Christmas Eve attack on communities in Bokkos and Barkin Ladi Local government areas of Plateau State.
“This dastardly act has once again tampered with the peace of our dear state as it was orchestrated by people who are hell-bent on ensuring that the ordinary Plateau man does not enjoy the serenity God through nature has bestowed on him.
“Choosing to murder harmless villagers in their homes as they prepared to celebrate the yuletide is the most horrendous wickedness that anyone could imagine. None of the hundreds of our people who lost their lives in the Christmas Eve attack by marauding terrorists envisaged that their lives would be cut short in such a gruesome manner.
“The killings on the plateau would seem to have gone on unabated as the non-arrest and prosecution of perpetrators have bolstered the serial killers to carry out more and more killings. Unfortunately, villagers in Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Riyom and Mangu LGAs have continued to bear the brunt of terrorists who seem to have sworn to dispossess them of their heritage at all costs.
“That these killers are out on a cleansing agenda and plan to take over the lands of the people they try to wipe out is no longer hidden. As painful as these killings are, equally hard and painstaking efforts must be made to put an end to them to restore Plateau to its known peaceful atmosphere which made it home to many people, even in decades past.
“While we agree with the President that the culprits must be apprehended and made to face prosecution, we must note that these directives have been issued repeatedly. Yet, neither arrests nor prosecutions have been made in the past. It is therefore pertinent that at this point, there is the need to attend to the call for State police as part of measures for boosting security, ensuring early response in crises and confronting the challenges of insecurity headlong.
“A situation where state governors have no powers to immediately deploy personnel to quell attacks and confront marauding terrorists is worrisome. The killings are getting out of hand and the State Police option is viable for nipping these massacres in the bud. States should be given the power to create, train and equip their police to enable State Governors to deal with peculiar security situations in their various states. More than ever, the time to heed the call for state policing is now.”
