Armed herdsmen kill 86 in Plateau

No fewer than 86 people have been confirmed dead in the violence that erupted on Saturday in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau.

The attack allegedly carried out by armed herdsmen almost led to reprisal in Jos, the state capital, on Sunday.
The government has declared a curfew.

In a statement on Sunday evening, the police also confirmed that six persons were injured, with 50 houses razed.

“Eighty six (86) persons all together were killed, six people injured, fifty (50) houses burnt, fifteen (15) motorcycles burnt down; two (2) motor vehicles burnt down,” the police said in a statement by its spokesperson in Plateau, Terna Tyopev.

Mr Tyopev said the dead bodies were discovered by a search party set up by the Plateau State commissioner of police, Undie Adie.

“Sequel to the attack in Gashish District of Barkin Ladi LGA yesterday (Saturday) 23/06/2018 , the commissioner of police Plateau State Command, Jos, CP Undie Adie, after deploying more personnel to the district sent a search and rescue team from the Command headquarters today for on the spot assessment,” it said

The police had earlier announced that 11 persons died.

Most of the victims were coming from the burial of a community leader.

Meanwhile, the Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, who arrived Sunday evening from his party’s convention in Abuja cleared some road-blockades within Jos. He appealed for calm in the affected communities.

The governor urged residents to strictly observe curfew hours declared by the government to “avoid molestation by security operatives.”

To forestall the violence from escalating, the Plateau government imposed a dusk to dawn curfew on Barkin Ladi and two other local governments in Plateau.