Attack on 9 villages of Gashish B/ladi
1 Stefanos Foundation Report| 5th to 8th July attack on B/Ladi
The people of Gashish in B/Ladi LGS of Plateau State woke up Thursday morning,
5th July,2012 to see their growing farm crops(maize) which were not yet mature
nor ready to be harvested being cut by the neighbouring Fulanis living in the area;
leaving only the crops belonging to the Fulanis themselves standing. 43 persons
had their farm crops, which they were hoping to be ready for harvest soon so that
they can feed their families and also sale some of the farm produce to generate
income for the family, completely destroyed.
Before that incidence, an eye witness who spoke to Stefanos said on 2nd July,
2012, the villagers were on vigil with the security operatives of the Joint Task
Force assigned to their community when then saw a strange fire burning by the
river bank so they decided to investigate then they heard gun shut which killed
one of them who happened to be a mobile police man. The following the day the
police raided the area to fish out the perpetrators but they had all fled their
homes. The Fulanis regrouped early hours of 5th July, 2012 to carry out that havoc
on the local chrisians of Gashish who farming has been their means of livelihood.
A farm owner Yakubu Jango said that his whole farm was destroyed he wondered
what he did to the fulanis that would make them do such a thing.
Pst. David said to Stefanos that
“waking up in the morning of 5th July,
2012 they found out that their farms
were completely destroyed and even
around 8am the fulanis still came
back and continue cutting down their
farm crops.
When we called on the security personnel with JTF to help, they refuse saying
that it is not their work but that of the police. So, that was how we watched
helplessly while our farms where destroyed by the fulanis and after the
destruction they left the village to an unknown place. Nobody was arrested as a
result of what happened.
Because of the continues attack on
the people of Gashish the women of
the community decided to hold a
peaceful demonstration today, 6th
July, 2012 saying enough is enough
and that they don’t want the
presence of the military personnel
since they don’t seem to be effective
in protecting them.
NAME OF THOSE WHOSE FARM CROPS WERE DESTROYED
S/N NAME
1 IRIMAY CHOJI
2 BULUS BITRUS
3 YAKUBU JANGWOK
4 STEPHEN AUDU
5 MUSA ADDU
6 BENJAMIN DAGAN
7 BWEDE MWANGWONG
8 SUNDAY JAME
9 KACHOLLOM PAM
10 HANATU YAKUBU
11 GWONG BAGO
12 DANJUMA MBAKA
13 DACHOLLOM GYANG
14 REV STEPHEN BWEDE
15 JOSHUA DING
16 ISHAYA MALLAN
17 GYANG DOROH
18 PASTOR LAAZARUS
19 BULUS GWONG
20 SATI DOROH
21 JAMES GWONG
22 JERRY YUSUF
23 AMOS ADAMU
24 GYANG DANJUMA
25 DANLADI JAL
26 VICTORIA SUNDAY
27 THOMAS A MANGS
28 SUNDAY MALLAN
29 IBRAHIM MALLAN
30 STEHEN ALAMBA
31 DANJUMA A MALLAM
32 SOLOMON CHOJI
33 BITRUS AUDU
34 HOSEA GWONG
35 PAM MAGIT
36 AMOS SUNDAY
37 SAMUEL ISHAYA
38 IHAYA DONG
39 DAZAM TIMOTHY
40 ELISHA CHOJI
41 KANANG TIMOTHY
42 GAIUS DACHUNG
43 GIDEON BWEDE
The attackers then unleash their carnage on this area of B/Ladi LGA of Plateau
State. They came in their numbers on 7th and 8th July, 2012 and storm on 9
communities: Ruk, Kuzen, Maseh, Pkwabuduk, Kufang, Ningon, Kai, Kakuruk
and Angyoi villages. They left 198 families displaced, 88 persons dead and 187
house burnt. Producing 22 widows and 90 orphans.
In Ruk village 18 displaced families, 14 burnt houses and 4 death. In Kuzen, 5
death. In Maseh, 63 death, 32 burnt houses, 32 displaced families, 42 orphans
and 14 widows. In Pkwabuduk, 3 death, 23 burnt houses, 23 displaced
families, 16 orphans and 2 widows. In Kufang 23 burnt houses and 23
displaced families. In Kai 32 burnt houses and 32 displaced families. In
Ningong 10 burnt houses and 10 displaced families. In Kakuruk 53 burnt
houses and 55 displaced families, 13 death, 32 orphans and 6 widows. Yet to
comfirm that of Angyoi village and the overall total of displaced persons.
On Sunday 8th July 2012 while sympathisers were at the mass burial of
villagers killed, the Fulani herdsmen attacked the area again leading to the
dead of a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Gyang Dantong
and a law maker Hon. Gyang Danfulani. Among thirteen others including
security men
According to Pam Ayuba, the spokesman for the Plateau state’s governor who
confirmed the incident, said the senator representing Plateau north, Gyang
Dantong, and the majority leader of the state assembly, Gyang Fulani and
others were gunned down on Sunday by Fulani herdsmen,”
He added that the two were killed shortly after attending the mass burial for
the victims of a Saturday raid, also blamed on the Fulani. After the burial, the
officials went to a reception at the home of another local leader in the state’s
Gashish district, roughly 90 kilometres (56 miles) from the capital Jos, Ayuba
said.
“The Fulani herdsmen raided the house...they shot (the politicians) and some
others but the key people who lost their lives are the senator and the majority
leader,” he explained. He said one other federal lawmaker “escaped death by a
whisker.
According to Hon Daniel Dem, the member representing Riyom Constituency
in the Plateau State House of Assembly, “at about 2:30 pm on the fateful
Sunday, we commenced the burial first at Maseh, my constituency. While we
were there, we were hearing gun shots from behind the hills, but we were not
seeing them. So, we continued with what we were doing. But all of a sudden,
the gunmen started jumping down from the mountains. The sight of the
attackers caused people to begin to flee; everyone had to run as far as your
legs could take you. The running caused serious stampede because the
security agents that were among us were also running for their dear lives. We
thought they would face the gunmen and repel them but they fled and you can
imagine the stampede.
It was after we ran for about two kilometres that my colleague, Hon Gyang
Fulani, collapsed. Not very far from that place, we saw Senator Dantong on the
ground; the same thing with Hon Mwadkwon. The rest of us were trying to
revive them one after the other, but my distinguished senator could not make
it, just as Hon Fulani. We got a vehicle and rushed them to the hospital but it
was already late, the damage had been done. I could not belief what I saw with
my eyes.
Stefanos Foundation remembers these lawmakers for their dedication to the
service of their people. Hon. Gyang Fulani’s concern for these attacks brought
him several times to Stefanos Foundation office. This organisation holds with
high regards our days of working with him and also Senetor Gyang Dantong at
Vom Christian Hospital where he served as the Superintendant of this
missionary Hospital.
As the coordinator of Stefanos Foundation, I was deeply concerned when in
2004 Senator Dantong shared with me his intention to go into politics. I recall
that the then, Dr. Dantong was the most capable doctor available to us when in
December 12th, 2003 a similar attack was carried out by same Fulani
herdsmen in Rim, part of his constituency. This was the attack that killed 19
people, among whom was Reverend Manjang, the then Vice President of the
Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN).
When persuaded to carry out surgery on his bleeding sister macheted by
Fulani herdsmen in that attack in 2003, Dantong turned to me and said you
know it is against my profession. I remember him saying this is why he
needed to go into politics and try to change things at that level. Dr. Dangton
sacrificed his profession then at the course of saving his sister’s life when he
found out he was the only doctor available to do so. It is sad that it has now
cost him his life.
We continue to call on the Government of Nigeria and the international
Community to take effective measures towards an end to this violence in
Nigeria.
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