Troops parade 3 suspects in connection to Plateau massacre
- Three people have been arrested and paraded by the Nigerian Army over the killings in Plateau
- The spokesman of the STF, major Umar Adam, said two of the suspects were herdsmen and one Berom
- The deadly activities of the herdsmen have raised concerns over the future of agriculture in North Central Nigeria
The Special Military Task Force, “Operation Save Haven’’ on Wednesday, June 27, paraded three suspects in connection with the latest killings in Plateau state that sparked national outrage.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the three men were said to have been captured at Gashish District in the Barkin Ladi local government area of Plateau.
The suspects were paraded in Jos alongside 14 others, who were arrested over the killings in which people, described as herdsmen massacred over 200 people, mainly locals and farmers on June 24.
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Legit.ng gathered that 11 villages in the Barkin Ladi local government area and its environs were affected in the onslaught in which property worth billions of naira were also destroyed.
Parading the suspects, the spokesman of the STF, Major Umar Adams, told reporters that the suspects were arrested, clutching sophisticated riffles.
Adams said that two of the suspects were herdsmen and one Berom– one of the minority ethnic groups in Plateau currently at odds with herdsmen over grazing rights.
The deadly activities of the herdsmen have raised concerns over the future of agriculture in North Central Nigeria because of the penchant of the marauders to kill farmers.
Analysts describe Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa states, the hotbeds of the killings as the food basket of Nigeria.
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Adams said the suspects were arrested in the course of the attacks.
“We all know that some days back, some villages in Barkin Ladi were attacked and these three suspects were arrested in connection with that. As our men were repelling the attacks in those areas we arrested these suspects with four riffles, three locally made guns and one AK47.
“The other 14 people were arrested in connection with civil unrest recently experienced in the state," he said.
Adams said that the suspects were still being investigated and that more arrests would be made in the course of time.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria gave reasons why herdsmen attacked mourners in Plateau state, killing over 120 people and causing serious injuries to hundreds others.
The chairman, north central zone of the organisation, Danladi Ciroma, who condemned the attacks, however, claimed the people were killed in retaliation to the killings of about 300 cows belonging to the herdsmen.
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Source: Legit.ng
