Plateau govt. confirms 6 killed, 30 injured in communal clashes

Plateau Government has confirmed six persons killed and 30 injured in communal clashes in Mikang Local Government of the state.

Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr Musa Ashoms, who spoke with newsmen on Monday in Jos, said that the clashes took place on Sunday in Funyalang and Ponglong communities.

Ashoms advised citizens against taking arms against themselves over issues they could resolve amicably.

He described the clashes over land dispute as unfortunate, as brothers and sisters were fighting over what could be discussed and resolved without shedding blood.

“We woke up yesterday with this gory story that people who had lived together all their lives decided to take up arms against themselves.

“Unfortunately, we lost six persons and we have about 30 persons who are badly injured, while about 40 houses were torched and food bans razed.

“So it’s quite unfortunate that it happened because of a land dispute.

“It is an issue that could have been resolved amicably, according to the Chairman of Mikang local government. When I asked him, he said, the land cannot even produce six bags of rice,” he said.

Ashoms said that there were about 11 villages where people couldn’t control their nerves and went into fighting with one another.

He, however, commended security agencies for nipping what he described as cancerous behaviour in the bud.

The commissioner, who said that peace had, however, been restored, prayed and hoped that it would be sustained.

“As a government, we want to tell people that we will not allow people to just take up arms, kill people and go away with it.

“Like we always say, this is not a banana republic. This is the Plateau of Nigeria, under the leadership of His Excellency, Gov. Caleb Muftwang.

“We cannot give anything less than responsive and responsible leadership.

“We’ll not allow people to deter or distract us. Our focus is to make Plateau greater than it had been,” he stated.