Some gunmen, on Tuesday night reportedly attacked Yelwan Zangam community, close to the permanent site of the University of Jos (UNIJOS), killing about 36 people and burning houses.
The attack occurred around 9:00 p.m. despite the dusk to dawn curfew imposed in Jos North council as well as Jos South and Bassa council areas. The attackers shot sporadically, gunning down fleeing residents and burning some others in their homes.
Before the incident, the fragile bridge linking the community to other communities was destroyed to prevent help from coming to the people.
According to eyewitnesses, 16 bodies deposited at the funeral parlour did not include another set of more than 15 that were burnt in their houses and were yet to be evacuated.
The Councilor for Ahwol Ward in the community, Yusuf Ali, said that people were burnt alive in the affected area.
According to the Councillor, the gunmen first vandalised the iron bridge linking the community before attacking the people, which made it difficult for security agents to assess the area when they were contacted.
Another resident, Jeremiah Bulus, said, “corpses have been taken to the mortuary this morning and people are still making efforts to recover more corpses from several houses, which the gunmen also set ablaze. The situation is really bad for the people.”
Vexed by the latest assault, a group of young persons stormed the Plateau Specialist Hospital, where bodies of victims had been deposited and evacuated them into vans. They later proceeded with the bodies to the state’s House of Assembly, blocking all roads leading to the complex.
The Speaker, Abok Ayuba, called for calm and restraint over the attack. Abok, who condoled with families of the victims, appealed to them not to take laws into their hands, saying that such action would only aggravate the already bad situation.
“We are all affected by what is happening in Plateau, but please, calm down as the government is doing everything possible to end the killings. We are your representatives, we are going to follow up with relevant authorities to ensure that peace returns to the state,” he said.
Despite the address by the Speaker, the youth were not satisfied and they proceeded to the Government House where the bodies of the victims were laid.
In the meantime, authorities in Plateau have summoned an emergency security council meeting presided by the deputy governor, Prof. Sonni Tyoden, to discuss the current situation in the state.
The latest attack is coming days after Governor Lalong imposed a curfew on Jos North, Bassa, and Jos South local councils following an attack on Rukuba Road in Jos North, where 23 people who were travelling from Bauchi en-route Jos to Ikare in Ondo State were killed and 23 others were left injured.
At noon yesterday, the Plateau State government ordered a reinstatement of the 24-hour curfew earlier relaxed in Jos North. The 24-hour curfew came into force from 4:00p.m. yesterday. The government said the decision is a proactive one aimed at nipping further attacks and reprisals in the bud.
