Gunmen invade Plateau community, burns 250 houses

About 500 gunmen on Thursday invaded Shonong village in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, burning down no less than 250 houses in the process.

The attack, which occurred at about 9pm was said to have taken residents of the community unaware.
According to a member of the community, who identified himself as Isaac Kahwun, the gunmen upon their arrival started shooting sporadically into the air.

 

Kahwun said, “We sent a distress call to the special task force in charge of the village and the security agents asked us to escape to safer places claiming that they did not have the power to confront the gunmen in case they came back in the night.

“As a result of this, all the villagers left their houses and took refuge in neighbouring villages. In the middle of the night, the gunmen returned and set all the houses ablaze.
“Some house where relief materials were kept for onward distribution to victims of the earlier attacks were also looted by the attackers while they set the remaining ones ablaze.
“Over 1,000 residents who fled their homes are now sleeping in primary schools in neighbouring villages.”

 

The Chairman, Riyom Local Government Area, Mrs. Josephine Piyo, who planned to visit the affected community was said to have been turned back by security operatives as her safety could not be guaranteed.
Piyo, however, disclosed her displeasure over the persistent attack by the gunmen on members of the community.
She said, “In the past two months, over 10 villages in my local government have been attacked and many people killed, yet security personnel are here watching without doing anything to defend the people or arrest the gunmen”.
Daily Post