Imported User:
Unknown gunmen yesterday launched fresh attacks on two villages–Tse and Shong villages in Barkinladi and Riyom Local Government Areas of Plateau State.
Confirming the development, a member of the State House of Assembly representing Riyom Constituency, Hon Daniel Dem, told journalists yesterday evening that, “I can authoritatively confirm to you that as I am talking to you now, the same gunmen from top of the mountain have attacked two more villages.
“The two villages, Tse and Shong, have been reduced to ruins with no house standing. The gunmen came in their usual style of shooting sporadically.
“The villagers were scared and they ran out of their houses, the gunmen set the houses ablaze and the displaced residents have added up to the numbers of displaced people in the area.”
The law maker further said that “The defence headquarters and Force Headquarters need to intervene at this point to save more lives because as I am talking to you now, there are 140 corpses lying there without burial, there are people who are still afraid of going back there.”
The lawmaker further commended the operatives of STF in Plateau State for their efforts, saying without them the situation would have been worse, noting that they actually helped during the attack in Mase. He said, “While we were doing the burial, the operative of the STF came there with their armoured tanks and as the rest of us ran for safety, the STF shot from the armoured car twice, this scared the gunmen from coming after us.
He further said “If the STF had shown their superior power earlier, the gunmen would not have attacked during the mass burial, our two legislators would not have died of the shock. I wish the STF had acted faster than they did, but all the same they deserve commendation and I m urging them to do more to help our people.”
In another development the STF on Jos crisis Codenamed ‘Operation Safe Haven’ has reacted to conflicting reports in some media, saying that the two law-makers who died last Sunday attack died due to panic and not due to gunshot.
In a statement signed by the media officer of the STF in Jos yesterday, Capt. Salisu Mustapher said, “The reaction became necessary to correct some wrong media reports over the cause of death of the two law makers.
Capt. Salisu said, “The panic that caused the death of the senator and majority leader would have been avoided if they had listened to instruction of the STF Platoon Command, DSP Suleiman Kabiru, who asked people to lie down following the sound of the sporadic gunshots.
