By Deshi Munkuwe
Within the week, there were attacks and counter attacks in Plateau State that ended lives of many people as reported by the media.
On Thursday morning, gunmen attacked Heipang community of Barkin Ladi LGA of Plateau State, and killed 21 persons. It was reported that the attack occurred around 1:00am, when most of the residents of the community were sleeping.
However, this attack happened three days after a commuter who was returning from Kara, a cattle market in Bukur, was attacked and killed in the Heipang area.
The Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM) had on Tuesday condemned the killing of the commuter, explaining that the attack was purely an act of criminality by enemies of peace.
The spokesperson of the Operation Safe Haven, a multi-security task force maintaining peace in the state, Captain Ola James, had earlier confirmed that 17 persons were killed in the attack, suspecting that the attack was a reprisal to the killing of the commuter on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has denied the allegation that the killing was carried out by members of the group.
Nuru Abdullahi, MACBAN chairman in Plateau State, condemned the incident, describing it as barbaric. He blamed the security agents for not responding swiftly before the attack was launched.
Reacting to the killings in Plateau State, a renown anti-corruption NGO; Almushahid Initiative for Transparency and Accountability (AITA) has condemned in its totality the chain of attacks and killings in Plateau state it described as condemnable and must be stopped.
Speaking to Capitalwatch Media, the National President of AITA, Ambassador Aminu Abubakar Majidadi expressed the organization’s absolute dismay and dissatisfaction over the repeated acts of killings in the state.
Amb. Majidadi said the people of Plateau state, both Christians and Muslims, Berom and Fulani with other tribes must acknowledge the fact that God created all humans and decided to make them from different cultures, sections, religions and gender.
AITA National President said “As an advocate of peace and unity in Nigeria and beyond, I am personally worried about the ugly reports of killings from Plateau state which is almost on a daily basis”.
“We are condemning all acts of killings and calling on the people of Plateau state to embrace peace and consider living with one another as all humans beings are created by God Almighty. As God wishes to make all the tribes and religions to be in the state, people must accept and learn to live in peace with one another.” Majidadi stated.
The Ambassador further called on the state government, the federal government and the security agencies to step up their games and ensure lives and properties of people are protected.
According to him, no individual or group of individuals should be preserved whenever they are found as culprits to the killings within the state regardless of their status, political affiliations, religions and or tribes.
“Fairness and just treatment of people, and ensuring offenders are punished accordingly are major means of solving issues of crisis as applicable in the case of Plateau state. The government must step up to its role to protect and unit people, foster the ideas of love, peace and unity amongst people”.
“We condemned the killings and we call on the people to live in peace and the security agencies must ensure all the papetrators of these killings are brought to book and justly prosecuted.”
