Saturday, July 14, 2012

ATTACK ON GASHISH VILLAGE OF BARAKIN LADI L.G.A 5TH TO 8TH JULY 2012


                                                              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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