BY OUR CORRESPONDENT – A reported deadly clash between herders and farmers has claimed the lives of many residents with houses burnt in the Mai Tumbi community of Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State
At the time of filing this reports, sources indicated that the clash, which started late on Friday, has not yet abated with many people fleeing and abandoning their homes.
According to an eyewitness, Ibrahim Musa, who is a resident of the community; “The crisis is still ongoing. Hundreds of people are fleeing the village. I can not give you the exact number of people killed but many were killed.”
Additionally, Musa hinted that “more than a hundred houses were burnt” in the raging crisis.
Confirming the incident, Spokesperson of the Plateau State Police command, DSP Alabo Alfred, disclosed that the Police and troops of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), a multi-security taskforce maintaining peace in the state, had already been deployed to restore law and order in the conflict area
DSP Alfred said; “I don’t want to give you conflicting figures. Security personnel have been deployed to ensure normalcy in the area.”
Meanwhile, the Director General of Plateau State Peace Building Agency (PPBA), Joseph Lengmang has condemned the incident as ‘most unfortunate’ and greatly distressing to the State government.
According to him; “We are deeply saddened by the ugly turn of events in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State where disturbing reports indicate a deteriorating security situation in some parts of the locality that has led to the death of scores of precious human lives and property destroyed.”
In a statement issued in Jos on Monday, the PPBA boss lamented that the current attack was coming on the heels of pockets of attacks recorded in some parts of Barkin Ladi and Jos North Local Government Areas in the last couple of days.
Lengmang said the agency condemned in totality the “resurgence of violence because of its potential to throw the state back into those dark days where human lives and property were destroyed at the slightest provocation”
