Nine victims of last week’s terror attack on Dorowa Babuje community in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State were on Tuesday laid to rest in a mass burial amid grief and renewed calls for justice.
The burial ceremony, held in the community, drew grieving families, community leaders, clerics and residents who gathered to pay their last respects to the deceased.
Chairman of the Regional Church Council of the Church of Christ in Nigeria, Ezekiel Dachomo, who officiated at the ceremony, condemned the killings and described the incident as a calamity.
He called for protection of Christian communities facing persecution and urged residents to pray for the widows and families who lost their breadwinners.
“The need for protection of Christians and Christian communities that are facing persecution is paramount. We need to pray for the widows and those who lost their breadwinners. We also need to forgive even the bandits,” Dachomo said.
National President of the Berom Youths Moulders Association, Solomon Mwantiri, expressed frustration over the attack, alleging that early warnings were ignored.
“Today, we are burying nine victims of terror attacks and two will be buried in Jol tomorrow. This is heartbreaking and too much for our people. Before this attack, we knew that an early warning had been given and nothing seemed to have been done about it,” he said.
Mwantiri appealed for the relocation of Operation Enduring Peace to areas he described as flashpoints and called for increased surveillance, including 24-hour drone monitoring.
He also urged the government to enforce the ban on open grazing, alleging that it had been used as a cover for attacks on communities.
Plateau State Commissioner for Environment, Climate Change and Mineral Development, Peter Gwom, condemned the attack and called for public support in tackling insecurity.
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“I’m pained by what happened. We are trying our best as a government. Let’s support the government in fighting terrorism,” Gwom said, urging residents to remain vigilant and take precautionary measures.
Solemn prayers were offered for the repose of the victims’ souls as tension lingered in the area.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Chairman of Riyom Local Government Area, Gwong Gwya Song, disclosed on Wednesday that 30 indigenes were killed and more than 500 displaced in recent attacks in the area.
“For now, the number of persons displaced so far is 707. Some of them have returned home, but some are still stranded,” he said.
The fresh violence in Plateau comes weeks after over 160 people were reportedly killed in an attack on Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, raising fresh concerns over insecurity in parts of the country.