Plateau State Governor, Mr. Simon Lalong, addressing a security meeting recently.
By Marie-Therese Nanlong
Jos – Five persons have been killed by gunmen in Chando-Zrrechi (Tafi-Gana) of Miango District, Irigwe Chiefdom, Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State.
This happened on Tuesday night despite the curfew imposed by the State government on three local government areas of Bassa, Jos North and Jos South.
That same night gunshots rented the air, making residents to scamper to safety in Dadin Kowa area, Jos South local government area.
At the Dadin Kowa area, some personnel of the Plateau Radio/Television Corporation, PRTVC, were attacked by hoodlums on their way from work.
A machete hanging on a vehicle of PRTVC attacked by hoodlums on Tuesday night.
Although Operation SAFE HAVEN, OpSH keeping the peace in the State has denied knowledge of the attack in Miango district, the State Police Command said it is aware and a joint security operation going on in the area.
OpSH however, confirmed the Dadin Kowa incident and added the situation has been brought under control.
Danjuma Auta, Secretary General, Irigwe Development Association, IDA, disclosed in a statement in Jos that, “As the Irigwe Nation continues to receive attack from left right and centre over the unfortunate incidence of the Rukuba road attack on innocent commuters which the Irigwe nation knows nothing about, we have continued as peace loving people to distance ourselves from the ungodly act.
“Late Tuesday night, one of our villages, Chando-Zrrechi (Tafi-Gana) was attacked by Fulani herdsmen. Five people were confirmed dead so far at Tafi Gana village of Miango District Irigwe Chiefdom. This is apart from another son of Irigwe killed at Dong village in the evening of Monday.
“As it is, Nigeria has remained silent as if nothing happened, we are calling on authority to put a stop to these because if nothing is done to avert this ugly trend, Irigwe people will be wiped out.”
The General Manager of PRTVC, Jeptha Jackden told our correspondent, “They closed from work on (Tuesday) night around 10.30pm, they were going to drop a staff around New Abuja area then they met a roadblock.
“Upon sighting the roadblock, they stopped and the people asked who they were and they introduced themselves as staff of PRTVC and the people said oh, these are our own, we are together.
“They wanted them to move the vehicle so that they can attack from behind so as they moved, there was a J5 bus apparently offloading only God knows what but they suspected the implements used in attacking them were moved from that bus.
“When they saw them coming, the driver drove off so they used this their long knife that if it draws you from the neck, there is no way you can escape. Luckily as they tried to cut the neck of one of the staff, the knife hooked on the metal part of the vehicle and the vehicle drove off with it.
“The personnel tried their best to escape so there were no injuries. One of their implements was dragged along with the car as they escaped. They have submitted it to the OpSH and the staff involved have been invited for intelligence gathering.”
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However, the Military Information Officer, Operation SAFE HAVEN, OpSH, Major Ishaku Takwa who commented on the Miango incident said, “…I am seeing that thing from the social media. Nobody has told us anything. That man that said he called us, I don’t know what time he called, is it before the attack that he got information and called or after the attack?
“We have not received any information about any attack in Irigwe land so I don’t know which network he called. Our network is open to all. People called us at Dadin Kowa and we responded immediately and we restored normalcy there.
“In Plateau crises, anything that is taking place, they are criminal elements that is why we term these things as criminal acts, criminals just want to use the opportunity to disturb the peace.
“You know there is curfew in that place but I was surprised that people called to tell us there was disturbance of peace and order, people were not sleeping and we responded to restore calm in that area.
“The PRTV staff that were affected, I am in contact with them, they are giving us information because they need to give us credible information about what happened to them so that we can deploy our men and see how to stop that kind of thing from recurring.”
But the spokesman of the State Police Command, ASP Gabriel Uba who did not volunteer much said, “We are aware of the incident in Bassa, there is a joint operation going on in that area.”
