Youths in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State on Monday barricaded the highway linking the community to Jos in protest against the killing of community members by gunmen who attacked the area on Sunday.
The youths, alongside women and other supporters, have declined repeated appeals to vacate the road, insisting they will remain at the scene until the perpetrators of the attack are apprehended and brought to justice.
One of the protesters, Samson Godiya, lamenting the situation, said, “We have suffered as a community for too long in the hands of these attackers whom we know to be Fulani herdsmmen. For how long shall we continue to be killed without anything being done to stop them .
“We can not continue like this. We are tired of promises by the government and security agents to protect us. If they can not live up to their promises, they should leave us alone. A situation where the security people will be there and at the same time, can not stop the killers from having their way is what we can not understand ”
Reports indicate that the death toll from the recent wave of violence in the community had risen to 10, after more bodies were recovered from affected communities in Barkin Ladi on Monday.
The Sunday evening attack in Barkin Ladi LGA, is said to be part of a growing security challenge in the state, where several communities have faced repeated assaults by gunmen, resulting in casualties and the displacement of residents.
A community leader with the Berom Youth Moulders Association, Rwang Tengwong, confirmed the recovery of the bodies on Monday.
Tengwong said, “Yesterday evening, seven persons were brutally killed following an attack by armed Fulani Terrorists at Ratatis, Dorowa Babuje in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area. The attack occurred at about 7:27 pm, leaving three others seriously injured.
“This morning, two more dead bodies of community members were recovered from Dorowa Babuje, while another person was shot dead in Jol, Riyom local government council of the state.”
Tengwong said the victims were immediately taken to nearby hospitals for urgent medical attention, adding that those injured victims are currently recuperating.
Reports indicate that the protest has disrupted traffic, with motorists coming from the Shendam and Langtang axis have been stopped from moving to Jos, while those from Jos are waiting to be allowed to move.
Some of the protesters, in separate interviews, insisted that the road would remain blocked, “ those who killed our people are brought to justice ”
When contacted, the spokesman for the Plateau State Police Command, Alfred Alabo, was unreachable for comment as of the time of filing this report.
