The 63rd Nigerian Independence anniversary in Plateau suddenly turned bleak on Sunday when gunmen in large numbers killed eight people and injured four others at Adu village in Kwall District of Bassa local government area of the State.
An eyewitness to the unfortunate incident who escaped the gory attack by the whisker disclosed that the gunmen invaded the village at about 8:00 pm and blocked all possible entrances that existed before the attack.
He stated that in the operation that lasted for close to one hour, sporadic gunshots from the attackers filled the air and caused panic not only in the Adu village but in the entire district.
“They came into the village at about 8:00 pm when it was raining and killed a family of six in their house, another two on their way out of the community, while four other people were injured and are now receiving treatment at a nearby hospital”.
The National President, Irigwe Development Association (IDA), Prince Robert Arshi, who confirmed the incident, said the gunmen suspected to be killer herdsmen launched the attack in the community.
Explaining the circumstances that led to the attack, Prince Arshi narrated that it was a reprisal attack following a Fulani man that was killed in a neighboring Kigam village in southern Kaduna.
“Three days ago, the Fulani were trooping into the Kwall community, but because of what had happened, our people said they should go back to where they were coming from. So in the process of that, their cows scattered, and they complained that they couldn’t locate some of them.
“The military came in and later discovered that two cows were slaughtered in the bush, so it became a problem. When we noticed this, the peace committee that was set up during the Lalong administration between the Irigwe and Fulani summoned a meeting involving the military, traditional rulers, the Ardos, and other stakeholders. We sat at Bassa Council and appealed to one another that this should be allowed to escalate, and we all agreed that nothing would happen on Friday.
“But on Sunday around 8:00 pm, they attacked Adu village, and eight were killed, and the four who sustained injuries are receiving treatment, so what can we say about this? We told them in the course of the meeting that we would investigate and fish out those who killed the two cows, yet they still went ahead to kill our people.
“Since we signed the peace path, my people have not killed any of them. We have told our boys to refrain from anything that might cause problems. How can we compare the lives of humans with cows? There is no humanity in some people,” he said.
Prince Arshi therefore appealed to both the state and federal governments to investigate the latest incident and bring those behind it to book.
When contacted the spokesperson of the Plateau State Police Command, DSP Alfred Alabo said “I will get back to you when I confirm the incident”.
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