6 Killed in Plateau Attack as Farmers Flee Farms

AS gunmen continued their onslaught on the natives in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, six people were ambushed over the weekend by gunmen suspected by the Fulani herdsmen and killed in a barbaric way, while most farmers in the council have deserted their farms for fear of being attacked by the marauders. The Saturday attack has now brought the number of those killed to 32. A source close to the local government told Sunday Tribune that the rampaging gunmen waylaid some groups of people, mostly women and children, who were on their way from Shonong village to Badok to grind millet and corn and snuffed life out of them. The source stated that the gunmen armed with sophisticated weapons, who had been laying siege to the community, bounced on them and hacked six of them to death, while others fled into the bush with various degrees of injuries, adding that the remains of those killed were discovered by passers-by who raised an alarm as a result of the gory incident. It was further gathered that people of Bachit district of the local government have deserted their farms for fear of being attacked by the gunmen, while most of the agile farmers have equally relocated to another settlement for farming. Majority Leader, Plateau State House of Assembly, Hon. Daniel Dem, representing the constituency, told Sunday Tribune that the six victims were ambushed on their way to grind millet in the neighouring village . Hon. Dem, who said the plan of the suspected Fulani herdsmen was to terrorize the people and force them to leave their villages, said the happenings in Riyom Local Government could be likened to the act of terrorism in vogue in the North-Eastern part of the country. “Attack on our people is becoming unbearable, they have now resorted to waylaying people on their to farm. In the past one week quite a number of natives had been killed through this barbaric method, farmers can no longer go farm, they have declare war on the community without any reason. “These terrorists are being aided by some herdsmen in our midst, they are so rude and merciless that they kill anybody that comes their ways, including children and pregnant women. The security men should be more proactive and be ready to do more in term of policing the community,” he said