10 killed as militia sacks Benue community
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10 killed as militia sacks Benue community
10 killed as militia sacks Benue community
Senan John Murray, Makurdi
Charred houses, fresh graves, a razed yam market and looted shops are all that are left of Jato-Aka, the spiritual home of the Tiv people of Benue State after a fresh orgy of violence on Thursday.
Our correspondent who visited the town learnt that a militia, known as the Tiv Defence Corps, that invaded the town allegedly killed 10 people.
Although most residents of the town had fled, a hand full of angry youths have vowed to protect the community since, according to them, the police had abandoned them.
Our correspondent saw a truck carrying beddings; pieces of furniture; cooking pots and a frightened family of 14, pulling out of Nyongov village, located about five kilometres from Jato-Aka.
The head of the fleeing family told our correspondent that, “It would be foolish for us to remain here after the events of last week. Our house has been burnt down; we can’t freely go to our farms without fear of someone springing up behind you to kill you. So, would it not be foolhardy to remain here?”
The spokesman of the youth group that posted scouts to the outskirts of the deserted community, Mr. Emmanuel Dzoho, said that the town was still unsafe for women, children and the aged to return.
He said,”Look, my brother, I am telling you, as we are talking now, I won’t be surprised if we start hearing gunshots,” Dzoho who is the son of the community’s traditional leader told our correspondent in Jato-Aka on Sunday.
“It was like a civil war here. It was like a civil war. You won’t believe the type of guns those guys have. When they came here, those who could, ran for their dear life because they were shooting indiscriminately.
“They killed an old woman who used to sell cigarettes here and one of our brothers who was driving in his car with his two year old daughter, they shot the infant dead when the father abandoned her and the car and ran away. It was like a civil war. So, we cannot rule out the possibility of more violence despite the presence of those mobile policemen you see sitting under the tree over there (pointing).”
Our correspondent also gathered that the attack on Jato-Aka, the home of former Power and Steel Minister, Paul Unongo, put to an abrupt end, the ongoing Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination in the town and neighbouring towns.
Last Monday, the highly dreaded militia group was said to have disrupted the funeral of Sewuese Hange, Unongo’s foster daughter.
The group was said to have released a hail of bullets on the mourners, killing three whose names were given as Isho Tivlumun, Raphael Tsavenda, and his brother Iortsor, on the spot.
The following day, the militia which is believed have been trained by a retired Army colonel from the area, attacked a nearby village, Iyiawa-Kendev, killing seven people, including a refugee identified as Ormaav
After sacking the village, the marauders were said to have moved to Injorov village where they burnt houses of identified ANPP chieftains in the community.
Dzoho told our correspondent that the latest attack on Jato-Aka was last Thursday after an attempt by over 600 armed mobile policemen to dislodge the militia group from its Nyihenba camp, located a few kilometres away from Jato-Aka failed on Wednesday.
According to him, after a three-hour gun battle with the militia, policemen beat a retreat to Jato-Aka where they also instructed the regular police team at the local station to abandon the area, citing superior firepower of the militia and the need to call for reinforcement as reason for the pullout.
Our correspondent, however, observed on Sunday that the 60-strong mobile police unit had been deployed in Jato-Aka.
Neither the Benue Police authorities nor the State Government could be reached for comments on Sunday.
The Punch, Monday June 21, 2004
Senan John Murray, Makurdi
Charred houses, fresh graves, a razed yam market and looted shops are all that are left of Jato-Aka, the spiritual home of the Tiv people of Benue State after a fresh orgy of violence on Thursday.
Our correspondent who visited the town learnt that a militia, known as the Tiv Defence Corps, that invaded the town allegedly killed 10 people.
Although most residents of the town had fled, a hand full of angry youths have vowed to protect the community since, according to them, the police had abandoned them.
Our correspondent saw a truck carrying beddings; pieces of furniture; cooking pots and a frightened family of 14, pulling out of Nyongov village, located about five kilometres from Jato-Aka.
The head of the fleeing family told our correspondent that, “It would be foolish for us to remain here after the events of last week. Our house has been burnt down; we can’t freely go to our farms without fear of someone springing up behind you to kill you. So, would it not be foolhardy to remain here?”
The spokesman of the youth group that posted scouts to the outskirts of the deserted community, Mr. Emmanuel Dzoho, said that the town was still unsafe for women, children and the aged to return.
He said,”Look, my brother, I am telling you, as we are talking now, I won’t be surprised if we start hearing gunshots,” Dzoho who is the son of the community’s traditional leader told our correspondent in Jato-Aka on Sunday.
“It was like a civil war here. It was like a civil war. You won’t believe the type of guns those guys have. When they came here, those who could, ran for their dear life because they were shooting indiscriminately.
“They killed an old woman who used to sell cigarettes here and one of our brothers who was driving in his car with his two year old daughter, they shot the infant dead when the father abandoned her and the car and ran away. It was like a civil war. So, we cannot rule out the possibility of more violence despite the presence of those mobile policemen you see sitting under the tree over there (pointing).”
Our correspondent also gathered that the attack on Jato-Aka, the home of former Power and Steel Minister, Paul Unongo, put to an abrupt end, the ongoing Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination in the town and neighbouring towns.
Last Monday, the highly dreaded militia group was said to have disrupted the funeral of Sewuese Hange, Unongo’s foster daughter.
The group was said to have released a hail of bullets on the mourners, killing three whose names were given as Isho Tivlumun, Raphael Tsavenda, and his brother Iortsor, on the spot.
The following day, the militia which is believed have been trained by a retired Army colonel from the area, attacked a nearby village, Iyiawa-Kendev, killing seven people, including a refugee identified as Ormaav
After sacking the village, the marauders were said to have moved to Injorov village where they burnt houses of identified ANPP chieftains in the community.
Dzoho told our correspondent that the latest attack on Jato-Aka was last Thursday after an attempt by over 600 armed mobile policemen to dislodge the militia group from its Nyihenba camp, located a few kilometres away from Jato-Aka failed on Wednesday.
According to him, after a three-hour gun battle with the militia, policemen beat a retreat to Jato-Aka where they also instructed the regular police team at the local station to abandon the area, citing superior firepower of the militia and the need to call for reinforcement as reason for the pullout.
Our correspondent, however, observed on Sunday that the 60-strong mobile police unit had been deployed in Jato-Aka.
Neither the Benue Police authorities nor the State Government could be reached for comments on Sunday.
The Punch, Monday June 21, 2004