Fresh Attacks on Plateau Villages Claim 13 Lives

Fresh Attacks on Plateau Villages Claim 13 Lives

Residents of Lwa, Dum, Rachit and Dyang villages in Bachit District in Riyom local government of Plateau State came under attacks friday around 2.am, leaving no fewer than 13 persons, including one soldier, dead.
Two soldiers were also said to be missing. The villagers therefore made preparations, including the deployment of their vigilante groups, to confront any invasion.
An eyewitness in one of the villages, Ayuba John, said: "Since last week, the terrorists have been pressing hard to attack Jol, a nearby village but when they could not, they then decided on a surprise attack on these villages at the same time wednesday killing about 12 civilians and one soldier."
When contacted, spokesman of the Special Task Force (STF), Capt. Ikedichi Iweha, confirmed the attack, saying that soldiers were still doing a mop-up operation. He also however confirmed that a soldier was among the dead. "We are still carrying out a mop-up operation and have not been able to establish the casualty figure."
Iweha however said that "some foreign nationals were picked up by the task force. He said that in all, 82 suspects mostly of Cameroonian, Nigerien and Chadian origins were apprehended within Rikkos community in Jos North local government area of Plateau State."
According to him, “the suspects were arrested within Rikkos community which had been under surveillance due to its high concentration of foreigners.”
Iweha said “We did not wake up and just go to an area to arrest people; the area has been under surveillance for a long time and It should have been a joint operation with the Nigerian Immigration Service but there were contending issues so we had to move swiftly to operate alone because of the independence day celebration and Sallah celebrations.”
He said the 82 suspects were in the custody of the STF and well taken care of pending when the Nigeria Immigration Service would carry out full documentations.
The residents of the Rikkos community however told journalists that those arrested were victims of mistaken identity as there were some Nigerians.
According to one Babangida Musa whose relative, Umar Ahmad was among the suspects arrested, “Ahmad is a Nigerian from Kaduna State but residing in Jos. The 21-year old Ahmad owns a provision shop in Rikkos, and was arrested around 2:00am after he had closed shop and was sleeping at home.”