From Jude Dangwam, Jos
There are seven persons killed in village of Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State Tuesday night by gunmen suspected to be Fulani militias.
The National President of Berom Youth Moulders Association Barr. Solomon Mwantiri in a telephone interview with our Correspondent confirmed the killings.
He said, “I just have scanty information at the moment, but it is true that there was an attack last night at Sangbak village of Riyom LGA. 7 persons were killed not 6, I am still working on the details,” he stated
This coming after a peace meeting held at the instance of the STF Commander Major General Abdulsalami Bagudu Ibrahim
at the Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) Headquarters in Jos on Tuesday with stakeholders from Riyom and Barkin-Ladi LGA of Plateau over renewed attacks and killings in the state.
The GOC 3 Division who double as the Commander OPSH noted that, the root causes of the crises on the Plateau that have lasted over 20years must be identified and addressed holistically.
He decried the rate at which human lives are being wasted over trivial issues that could have been resolved through dialogue. He advocated for a strict legislation that would keep the people in check for good behavior.
The Commander call for sincere commitment of all the stakeholders to peaceful coexistence in the state. “How long shall we continue killing ourselves for no reason,” he questioned.
The meeting has traditional rulers, youth leaders and women leaders, as well as religious leaders from Barkin Ladi and Riyom local government areas in attendance identified “deep misconceptions on the part of the people” as the root cause of the crises and called for frequent dialogue between the people and security agencies in order to proffer lasting solutions to the lingering conflict.
They also urged security agencies to be diplomatic in engaging with the people and deal decisively with those fomenting trouble in society.
They called for “stringent measures be taken against anyone found destroying crops and properties, rustling or killing cows” while identifying harbouring of criminals and youths involvement in drugs as factors responsible for the resurgence of hostilities in the affected areas.