THE indigenes and the Fulani in Barakin-Ladi local government have been living a kind of cat and dog life for some time. This year alone, the area has recorded several hostilities between the indigenes and the Fulanis, especially in the settlements around the local government, leading to the death of many and wanton destruction of property on both sides. But the latest onslaught, not only took place in the outskirts of the council area, but rocked the headquarters of the local government.Prior to last Thursday's incident, there was a minor skirmish in the town, leading to the death of three people. Various reasons were advanced as the cause of the incident but the law enforcement agencies within the locality were able to arrest the situation and restore normalcy to the affected area.To the consternation of many in the local government, the fragile situation again, took a frightening dimension on Thursday, when the inhabitants discovered that the local government was under siege as sporadic gunshots rented the air and thick smoke enveloped the air as a result of houses on fire.An eye witness told the Nigerian Tribune that the unfortunate incident started simultaneously about 8:00 a.m in different parts of the local government while most of the inhabitants were still preparing to file out for their daily activities. The eyewitness said that before the people could ascertain the situation on ground, the attackers had set many houses ablaze and shot dead, those who crossed their paths.Among the first causalties in the early hours of Thursday, was a police officer, Mr. Dalyop Pinda, attached to the Barakin-Ladi police headquarters and his wife, while his son escaped with several machete cuts. At the end of the unfortunate incident, no fewer than 30 people were brutally killed. At the nearby Takwok village, a Councillor with the local government, Honourable Choji Pam Choji, escaped the attack by whiskers, but lost 12 people in his compound, four of whom were his children. Narrating his ordeal, the Councillor, who had yet to recover from the shock of the barbaric act, said that the assailants, who were in a large number, stormed the village at about 8:00 am and set houses on fire with the aim of smoking them out of their abodes. According to him, some of the residents of the village were able to escape while those trapped were shot at close range. 'In my compound alone, 12 people were killed, including my four children. When they came in through the nearby hills, they released several volley of gunshots into air to scare the people while they set houses ablaze with the aim of smoking them out to be killed. Some of those who ran out of my compound were shot while four people that were afraid of coming out died in the inferno. We made several calls to the Military Special Task Force and the Police while the attack was going on but they did not show up' he said.The councillor, who said that his wife also escaped with injuries, said that they discovered that the assailants were Fulani because they were aided by their Fulani ours neighbors. He revealed that the assailants came through where they lived, adding that prior to the attack, both the natives and the Fulanis had organised a meeting on how to live in peace with one another, based on what was happening around them and agreed to caution their youths to embrace peace.Another man, Chollom Pam, who lost 10 members of his, including his four children, in the same village, said that they were killed by the attackers' right inside his premises adding the people had a field day as security men in the area did not come to their aid despite repeated calls to them. At the headquarters of the local government, houses that were burnt are still a sorry sight to behold, apart from residential houses, places of worship and schools were also torched.On the cause of the incident, the STF attributed it to cow rustling but the chairman of the local government, Honourable Emmanuel Loman, refuted the claim and charged those with such assumptions to tender apologies to the people of the area.The spokesman of the STF had earlier said that prior to the attack, 20 of the cows that were rustled were recovered by the soldiers and returned to the owners but the chairman refuted the claim, saying that the attack by Fulanis was not based on cow rustling, saying that it was an unprovoked attack which had no link with cattle rustling."Let me tell you, the whole thing began on the night of the previous Sunday, when three youths were ambushed and killed by suspected Fulanis. On Tuesday, these same Fulanis attacked some people relaxing in front of their house and killed two of them. Again on Wednesday, another set of armed Fulanis attacked another residence and killed three people, and then they also invaded Rakok village last Thursday. In all these series of attacks, the STF never made any arrests and that was why the violence escalated"However, the Secretary, Meyeti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Barakin-Ladi Local Government, Mallam Mohammed Adam, told the Nigerian Tribune on phone that before the Thursday incident, one Hausa man who he identified as Hamisu was killed within the local government followed by an attack on a mosque and the mounting of a road block along Bokkos road by some irate youths leading to the death of some people.The Secretary Meyeti Allah Cattle Breeders of Nigeria said that all these led to the crisis and absolved the Fulanis living with the council of the fracas within the council.In an attempt to restore normalcy to the local government, no fewer than 163 people were arrested in connection with the attack and various weapons recovered. The spokesman of the STF, Captain Charles Ekeocha, said that six people have also been arrested in connection with the killing of an Inspector of Police and his family and were handed over to the police for further investigation.Among the weapons recovered from them were one telescopic barrel rifle, four single barrel guns, two AK 47 rifles, nine locally made guns, two magazines of AK45 rifle, 52 7.62mm special bullets, three 7.62 NATO bullet and 46 pieces of cartridges.Other weapons recovered are 55 pieces of machetes, 61 arrows, three bows, six iron rods, 26 knives, seven diggers, 12 axes, 12 spears and 11 catapaults.The Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Oluseyi Peterin, along with top officials of the STF, led by Major-General Olayinka Osinowo, visited the scenes of the attack in the local government on Thursday for an assessment of the situation.While on the visit to the local government, Governor Jonah Jang condemned the incident and charged the people of the area to be more vigilant.'There is the need for all to be vigilant. Let the government bring all the soldiers of Nigeria to this place, they cannot protect everybody. They still need your support by being vigilant and reporting any suspicious move to them', he said.The governor, who advocated for neighbourhood watchmen to curtail incursion of assailants, charged the law enforcement agencies to get to the root of the attack, considering the sophisticated weapons used during the attack, adding that the sponsors must be tracked down to serve as deterrent to others.Said he, ' I was told that AK45 rifles were found in some people's homes. Who are the owners' The owners of such houses where they were picked must be arrested. The sponsors must be fished out.'Though relative peace has returned to the local government, the council is still deserted as those who left at the wake of the upheaval are yet to return.
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