Nine Dead as Fresh Violence Hits Plateau Communities
At least nine people were killed in a series of overnight and early-morning attacks across the Barkin Ladi and Riyom local government areas of Plateau State, triggering fresh panic and sending women and children fleeing for safety.
The massacre was stated to have occurred on Saturday night when five laborers travelling to Gana-Ropp in Barkin Ladi were bushwhacked and killed. The attack continued into Saturday morning when armed men targeted inhabitants on their way to church and in Dorowa Babuje, killing two people, including a local pastor. Separate attacks were also reported at Baten Wereng in Riyom LGA, where a woman was murdered, and at Ratyidi in Fan District. In addition to that, native herdsmen made lots of reports of several cattles which was killed and stolen near Dorowa Maranba and Kantoma early Sunday morning. The local leaders were voicing their anger over the lawlessness. Dead bodies were retrieved by Bulus Dabit, National President of the Mwaghavul Development Association, and Ukasha Garaba, a Pyem youth leader at Gana-Ropp; he also encouraged security personnel in the community to find the raiders as fast as possible. The youth spokesman for the Berom Youth Moulders, Rwang Tengwong, called the security situation deeply frightening and said it required continuous military boots on the ground.
Gunfire was still heard during midday on Sunday close to Kantomna, and as a result of that, many frightened families were forced to flee; Gambo Abubakar, secretary of the local Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN), encouraged security agencies to examine the cattle stealing to prevent further retaliation.
Speaking at the Assemblies of God annual convention in Gyel, Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang vowed that his administration would not back down in the face of ongoing armed violence. To reassert his dedication to working alongside security agencies, Mutfwang put his foot down that they can never be cowed or conquered by gun brutality.
“We Have No Choice”: Artisanal Miners Return to Minna Site After Detention Deaths
Just days after 37 detained miners died in Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) custody following a massive crackdown, workers have already returned to the M.I. Wushishi gold mining site in Minna, Niger State.
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Desperate for daily income, men, women, and young boys returned to the site by Saturday, digging into the earth with shovels, pickaxes, and pans. The return comes in the wake of Sept. 15 and 16 raids by the NSCDC. Overcrowded suspects were taken into custody, and as a result of that, 37 detained lives were lost, a calamity the former NSCDC commandant, Suberu Aniviye, described as a sudden disease outbreak.
Irrespective of the heavy-handed law enforcement and lost lives, miners say they have no choice but to continue with their daily jobs. According to Salisu Danmallam, who has been a miner for 15 years, he said staying home for two days will leave his family starving. While he avoided the site for a couple of days following the arrests, he felt compelled to return. Driving a for-a-close-block company is indeed safer for them, but the payment is very poor and cannot sustain basic human needs. DanMallam pointed out that miners keep their pits no deeper than knee-level to prevent fatal landslides. At the same time, some other people related scaring Experience with lawmakers. During a recent struggle, Buhari Rabiu, who is 26 years old, barely fled because she was alerted on time by a woman on the site premises.
Other miners recounted harrowing experiences with security operatives. Buhari Rabiu, 26, managed to flee the site during the recent raid after receiving a tip-off from a female worker. Rabiu alleged that during a prior arrest four weeks earlier, he was severely beaten by officers and required hospital stitches before his family secured his release for N120,000, as he stated that earlier, a collegues who was shot at close range. But despite the killing and bloodshed happening in the community, those digging the pit remain stubborn to vacate the premises and run for their lives. It is better to be caught and injured than remain poor, stated the miners.
