Gyang Bere, Jos

Plateau State Government House, Jos, was shut down, yesterday, by aggrieved protesters made up of women and youths who turned out in their hundreds to demand end to killing and justice for the death of about 150 persons in rural communities of Barkin-Ladi and Riyom Local Government Areas of Plateau state.

Daily Sun gathered that the protesters were initially denied access into the premises of the Government House but they overwhelmed the security personnel at the gates and forced themselves in.

It was learnt that some of government officials, who were on ground, hurriedly rushed out of their offices to escape being attacked by the aggrieved youths.

The Director of Peace Building Agency, Mr. Joseph Lengman, who was detailed to address the protesters scampered for safety when the angry youths refused to listen to him.

The protest turned sour when the youths moved against fleeing government officials, in an attempt to stop them from going outside the government house premises.

The situation went out of control when the youths turned violent and smashed the glasses of government structures housing the offices of the Secretary to the State Government, the govrernor’s Chief of Staff and the Permanent Secretary of government house and other top government officials.

The angry protesters also smashed windscreens of the cars parked in the premises. Some of the windscreen of cars smashed included those of Peter Amine, a senior correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) attached to the government house as well as Francis Douglas, reporter of

Core TV, among others. The security personnel began to shoot in the air, to scare the protesters but they, in return, laid on the ground to be killed; alongside their deceased brothers and sisters.

Director of Press and Public Affairs, Emmanuel Nanle, tried to address the angry youths who demanded that Governor Simon Lalong address them personally

But the governor was away to Jos University Teaching Hospital where he went to commiserate with the victims of the recent crisis in the state who were receiving treatment at the hospital.

Lalong also appealed to the Federal Government to provide relief materials and funds to enhance the return of displaced persons back to their hometown.

Lalong also informed that in Plateau, displaced persons hardly go to Internally Displaced camps as such people prefer to go to the homes of relatives.

“So, we are calling on the National Emergency Managment Agency to come to our rescue very quickly.”