From: Gyang Bere, Jos
Three years after the invasion of Shonong and Kirim villages of Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State by suspected Fulani herdsmen, 10 students of Government Secondary School, Shonong and Kirim are still missing and about 800 students have abandoned school.
The inhabitants of the respective communities deserted their places of abode during the attack and the schools were temporary shut for fear of another deathly invasion.
Daily Sun visited the communities, on Tuesday, when Minority Leader and member representing Riyom Constituency in the Plateau State House of Assembly, Hon. Daniel Dem, paid N2.5 million registration fee for 950 indigent students, sitting for 2017 Junior Secondary School Council Examination in the locality.
A parent, whose son got missing during the 2014 attack in Shonong village, Gyang Davou, concluded that his son, Timothy, who was in JSS 2 at the time, may have been killed during the attack that dozen of lives perished.
He noted that Fulani herdsmen invaded the community, killed women, school children and set houses with foodstuffs ablaze. “At the moment, about 10 students are still missing and only few people had the courage to return to the villages, including school teachers who are said to have been transferred to different schools”.
Hon. Dem expressed dismayed over the pathetic condition of students in the LGA and said about 200 JSS three students missed the 2016 Junior Secondary School Council Examination because their parents were displaced.
He called on Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong to look into the plight of internally displace persons in Riyom and said over 6, 000 displaced persons are currently squatting with relations in Jos and parts of Kaduna State.
Hon. Dem escaped death by the whisker in the crisis prune communities in 2012 during a deathly attack, orchestrated by suspected herdsmen that killed Sen. Gyang Dantong, Hon. Gyang Fulani an scores of lives.