Four persons have been killed in a fresh attack in Plateau State.
The victims, who are all male, were killed by suspected herdsmen on Monday at Renwienku village of Miango District in Bassa Local Government Area of the North-Central State.
President of Irigwe Development Association Mr Robert Ashi Dodo said the assailants invaded the village in the early hours of the day and inflicted injuries on the victims – who were mainly middle-aged – which led to their death
The incident, according to the Irigwe leader, was compounded when the mourners were attacked on their way to bury the dead.
He, however, said they buried the victims following the intervention of security agencies.
But the Fulani community has denied any involvement in the incident, and accused their Irigwe neighbours of killing a herder – who was pasturing – during the weekend.
The Miyetti Allah leader in the state, Nura Mohammad described the incident as unfortunate in spite of the ongoing peace efforts in the state.
The police in a statement from the command Public Relations Officer Gabriel Ubah confirmed the unfortunate incidents at Kpachudu and Reweinku villages in Miango district that led to the death of four persons.
He said more personnel have been deployed to the areas to restore peace.
According to him, investigations have commenced to fish out perpetrators of the dastardly act.
The recent incidents are the latest in renewed clashes in Plateau State. Last month, there was tension in the state after some travellers were killed, a development which prompted the Plateau government to impose a curfew on the state.
But critics say Governor Simon Lalong is not doing enough to tackle insecurity in the state.
“When I say enough has not been done, I mean, how many people, how many assailants – whether herdsman or gunmen, whether marauders or miscreants; how many have the state government arrested in the last six years?
“How many assailants have the state government prosecuted and even if they have not prosecuted, how many have they made public to say that we arrested A, B, C, D in X, Y, Z places; how many?” a former member of the House of Representatives, Bitrus Kaze said.
In the wake of the conflict, various states started evacuating their indigenes from the University of Jos (UNIJOS) over fears the situation could worsen.
