Gunmen kill 27 in Plateau

Josephine Piyo, chairman of Riyom local government area of Plateau state, has revealed that about 27 residents of Bachi district in the local government died in an attack by gunmen.

He said the attack, which was carried out in a manner similar to that of the Boko Haram sect, also saw the burning of 70 houses.

Piyo told a joint team of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) on a visit to the area on Tuesday that about 3,520 people have been displaced as a result of the incident.

Represented by Alex Kundang, the council secretary, Piyo said those displaced were currently putting up at different camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the area.

He described the situation as pathetic, calling for urgent national attention in addressing the situation, as the attacks on Riyom people had become recurrent.

“The methods of the attacks are similar to that of Boko Haram in terms of approach and the weapon used,” he told NAN.

The chairman appealed to the federal government to design a strategy to check the attacks in the same manner of tackling the Boko Haram insurgency.

Eugene Melong, a senior official who led the NEMA north central team on the assessment visit, expressed sadness over the incident.

“We are here with my team to carry out on-the-spot assessment, generate report and then send it to our headquarters to enable the government to render some assistance,” Melong said.

The executive secretary of SEMA, who was represented by its director of administration, Biser Longnan, said the Plateau government planned to assist the displaced persons.

The leader of displaced persons in Camp 1, located at Farinlaba Local Education Authority Primary School, Riyom, Dalyop Kanbut, called for a lasting solution to the attacks because it had brought untold hardship to the people.

At Camp 2, located at Riyom community hall, Sunday Baren said the people needed assistance, especially food and drugs.