Horror: Jos Community In Panic As Eight People Are Killed In Herdsmen-Farmers Clash

It has been reported that at least eight persons have been confirmed killed in two separate incidents in Bassa local government and Bokkos local government since Monday this week.

According to The Nation, one of the incidences in Daho, Bokkos LGA involved dispute over a pieces of land between Fulani people and Ron people, while the second incidence in Bassa LGA involved Fulani herdsmen and Irigwe farmers.

Both incidences led to the lost of 8 persons, burning of several houses and several other people injured.

Confirming the incidences, Media Officer of the special military task force code named “Operation Safe Haven” (OPHS) Major Adam Umar said, “There is no denying the fact that these killings took place between the 22nd and 24th of this month. The first one that happened in Bassa was between Irigwe youths and some herdsmen, a head of cattle allegedly encroached into a farm belonging to Irigwe farmer, and that led to the killing of one of the cows, several other cows were injured.

“When the report got to us, our men in sector seven mobilize to the area and effect some arrest and rescue some of the cows. In the night of that same day 3 dead bodies were found near a mining site and those bodies were identified as Irigwe boys, they were obviously killed by some unknown gunmen. Our men went and evacuated the bodies.

“Related to that, security agencies in neighboring Kaduna State raised alarm that they saw some gunmen dresses in black uniforms in their area and asked for vigilant around the boundary areas, the next day, two bodies of Fulani boys were found and evacuated by the police.

“So to restore calm in the areas, our men have been deployed to the general areas to forestall breakdown of law and order and calm has already been restored to the area”

On the second incidence that happens in Bokkos, Major Umar said, “A Fulani young man was sighted molding building blocks in Daho village, some Ron boys contested the ownership of the land and in the fracas that ensued, the Fulani boy was killed. Eventually, the crisis escalated before we know of it and two more people were killed in the clash between the Fulani and Ron youths”

According to Major Umar, “You see, these killings occurred because people often take laws into their hands, the normal thing is to report any grievances to security agencies, we keep preaching about this on daily bases, but people will not listen. We have often tell them to cooperate with security agencies and give us useful information at the right time, we have the capacity to use such information in a manner for peace to reign in the communities, that is why we are deployed here But the people, for reasons best known to them will want to handle the situation themselves and we frown at that”

However, we are already maintain our heavy presence in the communities where these killings took place and everywhere is calm now, said Major Umar.

However, youths in the state said the special military task force are so economical with the truth of the situation. They alleged that the communities are facing unprovoked attacked by armed Fulani who are contesting for grazing land with the natives.

The Nation reports that security meetings are ongoing in the state to prevent the issue from escalating into full blown war. 

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