10 Killed, 20 Houses Torched in Plateau

10 Killed, 20 Houses Torched in Plateau

At least 10 persons were on Friday killed and over 20 houses burnt in Mangu local government area of Plateau State following hostilities between the Fulani herdsmen and the natives.

This is even as the anti bomb squad of the state Police Command in the afternoon defused an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) close to the residence of a prominent Islamic scholar, Sheik Yahaya Jingir in Jos.

The renewed hostilities between the Fulani and the natives started early this week when three persons were beheaded in Kantoma village in the area on Wednesday.

THISDAY gathered that the Fulani suspected to be on a revenge mission swooped on Shurun village and killed ten and razing over 20 houses in the early Friday morning attack.

An eye witness said the gunmen whose arrival was heralded by sporadic gunshots into the air scared most of the residents causing them, especially the women, to flee into the bush for safety.

The source added that the attackers were aided by the Fulani living within the village and other surrounding villages.

He said, "It is quite worrisome that some of the gunmen have been identified as the Fulani herdsmen living within our communities. They carried out this deadly attacks and got back to their huts unharmed, the calibre of arms and ammunitions used by the attackers shows that it was well  co-ordinated to eliminate us.“

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer PPRO, DSP Abuh Emmanuel  said he was yet to  get full details of the attack from the Divisional Police Officer DPO of the area.