Attacks in Plateau State leave nine dead

A week of relative peace in Nigeria’s Plateau State has been shattered by a series of attacks that have left at least nine people dead.

Three members of one family were among five people killed in a targeted attack on three homes at the Federal College of Land Resources in Kuru near Jos on the evening of 10 February. Eyewitnesses report that men dressed in military uniforms were amongst the attackers.

The men began by attacking the home of Mr Chube Job, who was shot dead in his bedroom. They then proceeded to shoot and kill his wife, Susan, and little daughter Emmanuella, who were in the bathroom, while the couple’s two other children looked on from the living room.

Next, the attackers headed straight for two other houses nearby. Alice, a teenager whose father Gideon was the next victim, said, “At about 7 pm we heard gunshots and my father came out. We told him not to go out but he went out to call my brother, who was standing outside with another man, an electrician. The men barged in, shouting, ‘Here he is, get him!’ And they shot them.” The electrician, identified only as Hosea, was also killed. Alice’s brother was shot in the neck and is currently in hospital.

At the third house, Mr Bolaji was shot in the waist, but his pregnant wife told CSW’s sources that she thanked God that he was not killed. The men also shot at the couple’s car and set a bus on fire; however, a fire extinguisher in the bus exploded and put out the flames.

According to eyewitnesses, the men used a blow torch to set the houses ablaze, and stole over 30 cows belonging to Mr Job.

Following the attack, college students held a demonstration against the lack of security on the campus.

Two days later, an elderly woman was beheaded, two of her grandchildren were murdered, and a man was killed during a late night attack by unknown assailants on Shekan village in Jos South.

Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), said, “It is extremely worrying that despite the deployment of fresh troops in Plateau State, an attack by men in military attire is once again reported to have occurred. We offer our condolences to those who lost loved ones in both of these attacks. We call on the Nigerian authorities to take effective measures to protect educational facilities in Plateau State, and also urge them to take robust measures to weed out rogue military elements and discourage any manifestation of sectarianism on the part of the armed forces.”

For further information or to arrange interviews please contact Kiri Kankhwende, Press Officer at Christian Solidarity Worldwide on +44 (0)20 8329 0045 / +44 (0) 78 2332 9663, email kiri@csw.org.uk or visit www.csw.org.uk.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is a Christian organisation working for religious freedom through advocacy and human rights, in the pursuit of justice.