Plateau Killings: Military And Youth Disagree On Secret Burial For Victims

Herdsmen killing.

Relatives Of Victims In The Plateau Killings Frown Against Secret Burial

There has been a disagreement between the youths and security agencies over the allegations that the security agencies are planing a secret burial for over 200 victims of the attacks in the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.

Report has it that the deceased families are demanding to pick up the corpses of their relatives for burial, has tension in the environs has escalated despite the curfew in the state.

The alleged herdsmen attack spread to a village known as Kwi where an old woman who could not escape was reportedly killed while many houses were burnt.

Peter Gyendeng, the Chairman, Public Accounts and Petition Committee in Plateau State House of Assembly representing Barkin Ladi constituency, and Emma Zopmal, the President of Middle Belt Youth Council, in an interview with Punch stated that the secret burial could be cover up some facts.

According to them, every effort they made to evacuate the corpses for burial met a stiff resistance from the military hierarchy.

Maj. Gen. Anthony Atolagbe, the Commander of Special Military Taskforce code named Operation Safe Haven, however explained that state of the corpses was so bad that if allowed to be taken away, it would stir up serious tensions and mayhem in the state.

Gyendeng said, “We tried to take all the corpses to give them mass burial. But the STF Commandant stopped every movement that we made concerning the dead bodies. In fact, he did not allow anybody to go there yesterday (Sunday). We organised our own security and mobile policemen to escort us there. But we were stopped on the road.

“Our people stayed there till 6:pm, we had to come back for security reasons too. The corpses are still there and they have started decomposing. I’m just entering my LG now to see what else could be done. We have taken pictures of the corpses.

“It is obvious that the government does not want the world to know the genocide that is happening in my place. They are trying to cover the number of dead people in that place. All we know is that there is genocide in our land. Today (Monday), they entered a village called Kwi, there was community resistance. In a village called Bed, they sent armed soldiers to come and disarm the local people who were defending themselves.

“Yesterday (Sunday), the Fulani militia wanted to enter the area. But now, soldiers have been sent to disarm the local people, leaving them helpless. We don’t know what is happening, it is something that cannot be explained. A curfew was imposed yesterday (Sunday). But the Fulani men and their cows were escorted by soldiers at night.”

The legislator promised to make the correct figure and gory pictures of the deceased available on Tuesday (today), during parliamentary sitting.

According to Zopmal, the affected communities should resist the planned secret burial because the corpses did not belong to the security agencies and the government.

He said, “The planned secret burial is a conspiracy, we know that there is collusion between the security agencies and the Fulani people. There is no way you can force people to bury their relations when they are not ready for it. The dead bodies belong to them, so they are not government’s corpses that they will now decide when to bury them.

“The affected communities should not allow that to happen. The security agencies did not protect them. Why should they decide the burial for them? It doesn’t make any sense, they are trying to cover up what they have done. It is all part of the same attitude that the Nigerian government has been exhibiting.”

While faulting the approach of the state government, the MBYC called on Governor Simon Lalong to “immediately lift the curfew and devise another means of protecting the people.”

But reacting to the allegation, Kwara State-born Atolagbe, told The PUNCH that he did not stop Berom ethnic nationality and relatives of the deceased from carrying the corpses.

According to him, the President of Berom Youth Moulders Association, Choji Dalyop Chuwang, and the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria, have agreed with him on what best should be done about the corpses to avoid another crisis.

Atolagbe also denied the allegation that trucks of cows were escorted by soldiers despite the curfew, while local vigilante natives were disarmed, saying, “nobody did that, it’s not true.”

The force spokesman, acting DCP Jimoh Moshood, in a statement on Monday, said the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Department of Operations, Joshiak Habila, had been directed to relocate to Jos to coordinate and supervise the operation.

The police claimed their arrival in the state had restored peace and prevent further attacks in the affected areas,.

It further explained that the IG had directed the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Monitoring Unit to lead the Special investigation Team to the affected areas and other flash points.

Moshood implored the people to support the police while cautioning them against reprisals, adding that anyone in distress or with information should call 07059473022, 08038907662, 08075391844, and 09053872296

Meanwhile, the Plateau State government on Monday frowned on the manner in which gory pictures of victims were being circulated on the social media.

A statement by the state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Yakubu Dati, advised citizens to respect the living and dead.

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