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Mr Emmanuel Ayeni, the Plateau Commissioner of Police, has confirmed that ?five persons were killed and many others injured in a midnight attack in Riyom on Tuesday.
Riyom is the headquarters of Riyom Local Government of Plateau.
“There was an attack in Riyom that left five people dead. It was a night attack and we are investigating. It is very unfortunate and we are doing something about that.
“Riyom is our albatross, it is the major albatross we have now.
“Yesterday, before the attack, I held meetings with major stakeholders on this issue of Riyom. But there is hope that this malady will stop,’’ Ayeni told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday.
Ayeni explained that he had convened a stakeholders’ meeting to address the lingering crisis in the area.
He added that stakeholders from Barkin Ladi and Bokkos, facing similar crisis, would be part of the meeting.
The commissioner said that traditional rulers and community leaders of all the ethnic groups, from the three areas would also be in attendance at the meeting.
He said that earlier meetings had discussed the need to find lasting solution to the problems of killings, cattle rustling and destruction of farmland, which were the major cause of the crises.
Ayeni said that previous meetings resolved that the Berom and the Fulani should refrain from taking the laws into their hands.
He explained that the meetings had also resolved that the council chairmen should constitute peace committees with a view to ending tribal and religious disagreements that usually preceded the violence.
“It was also resolved that there should be meetings between the commissioner of Police and the Fulanis, the Berom traditional rulers and the police, Berom and the Fulani leaders. ’’
An eyewitness, Pam Dalyop, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the assailants struck when the people were asleep.
Dalyop said that there was a heavy rain, which made it impossible to hear the cries of the affected persons.
“Because of the heavy rain, we were trying to sleep but we were hearing gunshots.
“The assailants came with sophisticated weapons; we were shouting for help but no one was there to help us.
“There was pandemonium in the whole area as people were running for safety.
“The assailants were more than 20, they shot some people and also cut some people with axes and machetes,’’ he said.
Daylop urged the government to provide security in the area because the attack was similar to previous ones.?
“The same people even killed a mobile policeman that was deployed here two weeks ago,” Dalyop alleged.
He said that four females and a male were killed and gave their names as: Dinatu Danbwarang, 48, Simi Joseph, 26, Rose Dalyop, 25, Japhet Samuel, 4, and Christiana Adamu.
According to him, two other children, aged two years and three month, are among the victims currently being hospitalised at the Vom Christian Hospital. (NAN)