Plateau: Angry women halt mass burial of attack victims

There was heightened tension in the Angwan Rukuba community in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State on Tuesday as angry women took to the streets carrying leaves and chanting songs to stop the planned mass burial of some victims of the Palm Sunday deadly attack by gunmen.

The protesting women, joined by some youths, blocked the entrance of the church in the community where the mass burial service was to take place.They refused to allow the ceremony to proceed until their demands were met.

They cited allegations that military authorities had arrested three youths from the community in connection with investigations into the killings.“We will not allow the burial to take place until our sons are released,” one of the protesters, Rhoda Aliyu, said.“Those arrested by soldiers are innocent. They are not the ones who carried out the killings.“They should go after the perpetrators and leave our youths alone, and we will not let them be detained unfairly,” another protester, Mathew Bulus, said.

The protest heightened tension in the community as about seven corpses of the attack victims were brought to the venue.A source in the community told newsmen that the women were demanding the unconditional release of the arrested youths before any burial could take place.

It took the intervention of youth leaders to calm the situation.It will be recalled that unknown gunmen, suspected to be bandits, attacked the Gari Ya Waye area of Angwan Rukuba on Palm Sunday night, killing over 28 people and injuring several others.The attackers stormed the densely populated community around 7:30pm and opened fire indiscriminately on residents.

President Bola Tinubu, who visited Plateau State last week following the attack, commiserated with the victims’ families and directed security agencies to arrest the perpetrators.

He also ordered the installation of over 5,000 Artificial Intelligence-enabled CCTV cameras across the state to enhance 24-hour surveillance and combat insecurity.

Governor Caleb Mutfwang, who had earlier visited the scene, vowed that justice would be served and the perpetrators would not go unpunished.He described the attack as a heinous and well-orchestrated act aimed at destabilising the state.

In a statewide broadcast and during stakeholder engagements, Governor Mutfwang assured residents that his administration had taken swift and decisive actions, including convening a Security Council meeting to address lapses and strengthening security measures across vulnerable areas.

e commended the people of Angwan Rukuba and Plateau State for exercising restraint and refusing to retaliate despite the provocation.The governor further declared that Plateau State would not bow to the blackmail of terror.

Mutfwang also appealed to traditional rulers, religious leaders and community stakeholders to collaborate with security agencies and the government in the fight against insecurity, reaffirming his commitment to restoring lasting peace and unity in the state.

Efforts to get the reaction of security agencies on the arrest of the three youths and the ongoing tension proved abortive as at press time.Meanwhile, normalcy has returned to the community and the funeral mass for the victims is ongoing.