Suspected Fulani herdsmen kill family of eight in Plateau

Suspected Fulani herdsmen on Monday attacked and killed a 62-year-old retired policeman, Baba Jacob Wangte and seven members of his family in the Sabon Layi area of Barki Ladi Local Government of Plateau State.
According to reports, the family is related to the former speaker of the state House of Assembly, Istifanus Caleb Mwansat, who is also currently representing Pankshin South in the state Assembly. The retired police officer was killed along with his 50-year-old wife, Ruth; their son, Katok, 27; and his wife, Richeal, 21, and three grand-children.
The Chairman of Barkin Ladi Local council, Emmanuel Loman, who confirmed the attacked on Monday in Jos, said the attack occurred around 10pm on Sunday. He said:
“The attacks started since last week, in some villages of the locality, by the Fulanis, and continued again on Monday at about 10pm, where Baba Jacob and even members of his family were attacked and the entire family killed by the same Fulanis.”
Loman disclosed that the deceased policeman was a Mupun by tribe and had been a resident of the area for a very long time.
He wondered why such a big family would be killed in one day without the security arresting a single suspect. According to the Dailytimes, the chairman said there was a demonstration on Sunday by the women of the local government to express their grievances over the attacks in some villages.
The villagers were defending themselves in their homes, when men of the Special Task Force (STF) surrounded them and collected their weapons and allowed the Fulanis to go free without being arrested.
“The women were angry when two of their children were apprehended. They felt bad that, instead of the STF arresting the attackers, they were arresting innocent youths, who were defending themselves,”
he lamented. Loman had condemned the situation and informed the authorities concerned to take action over the behaviour of some of the STF members in Barkin Ladi Local Government, saying the attackers were well known to some of the STF in the locality, who had been breaching the peace in the council.
The attack was confirmed by the Media Officer of the STF, saddled with maintaining peace in Jos and the environs, Captain IKedichi Iweha, but he was yet to make comments on the attack at press time.

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