Nigeria - Death Toll In Plateau Rises, JTF Arrest 30 Terrorists

At a time President Goodluck Jonathan and leaders of Plateau State have intensified efforts to restore peace to the state, residents of some communities are still at the mercies suspected terrorists.

Some of the victims of last Friday’s terrorist attack on Kombul Village in Mangu Local Council have said the death was higher than the one reported by the Special Task Force (STF).

The security outfit had said only one died in the attack while two others were critically injured by the gunmen.

But one of the victims, whose compound was attacked by the bandits, Bulus Dabai, said the gunmen killed four of his family members and injured three others.

Addressing journalists Dabai said: “It is not true that only one person died in the attack. These are my people. In my house alone, four members of my family were killed and three people were injured.”

Last Saturday, the spokesman of the STF, Captain Salisu Mustapha, said the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in the area told him that only one person was killed while two others were wounded.

Mustapha said STF troops promptly arrived at the scene as soon as they got information about the attack, adding that the assailants took to their heels and abandoned their vehicles when they heard of the soldiers’ presence.

Our reporters learnt that the hoodlums on arrival in the village, shot sporadically into the air and headed to the compound where they killed the victims.

In Yobe State, the Joint Task Force (JTF), which clashed with gunmen on Sunday during a raid on the hideouts of Boko Haram sect members in Bindigari and

Pawari wards of Damaturu, have claimed the arrest of 30 of the insurgents.

The state Police Commissioner, Patrick Egbuniwe, said the suspects were being quizzed by his men.

He pointed out that calm had returned to the state capital, adding that security operatives were on top of the situation.

Egbuniwe said the dawn raid by JTF was prompted by intelligence reports and declared that the gunmen first fired at the soldiers.

According to him, there were no casualties on the part of soldiers and police, “but the JTF killed two of the suspects with the arrests of 30 other members of the Boko Haram sect in Bindigari and Powari wards, which serve as their bases for carrying out bombings in Yobe State.”

Meanwhile, the JTF has asked Damaturu residents not to “panic and flee” over rumours that insurgents would strike in the state capital.

In a statement yesterday, JTF Commander, Col. Dahiru Abdulsalam, said officers and men of the task force had taken necessary steps to protect all law-abiding people of the state.

He appealed to residents, who have fled the state capital on the basis of the rumours to return and live peacefully with their neighbours.

He said:  “The JTF calls on members of the public to cooperate and be patient as efforts have stepped up to maintain security and to assist security operatives with relevant information through the dedicated telephone numbers already provided to bring all criminals to book.”