News Editor
By Steven Kefas
…Locals say Fulani living amongst them fled the communities hours before the attack
… Accused military and government of ignoring warning
Terror group suspected to be Fulani herdsmen has killed no fewer than 150 villagers in 11 communities in Kanam local government area of Plateau state, North central Nigeria on Sunday night.
The communities of Kukawa, Gyambawu, Dungur, Kyaram, Yelwa, Dadda, Wanka, Gwaram, Shuwaka, Gwammadaji, and Dadin Kowa were affected by the attacks.
The attack which locals said started at about 11am on Sunday morning lasted for several hours with no intervention from security forces.
Several agrarian communities were invaded by heavily armed terrorists in Kanam local government area, several houses were destroyed by the Invaders, eyewitnesses told TMSnews.
Witnesses noted that security forces did not intervene in the raids which lasted for several hours, leaving the attackers to kill, maim and plunder undisturbed.
The Village Head of Gwaram, Mallam Jafaru Mohammed told this newspaper that the attack left the entire community devastated and terrified.
“At about 11am on Sunday morning, we began to hear loud gunshots from neighbouring communities, we never knew what was happening untill the attackers got so close. They came to our community and started shooting sporadically, the young, old and expectant mothers all took to their heels.
“A woman put to bed in the bush unfortunately we lost the child. We have never experienced such before and that left us devastated and terrified.
“In Kukawa, not far away from here the destruction was worse, they even vandalized the network mast, as we speak there is no network there.” He said.
Mohammed further said that s day before the attack, local Fulani living amongst them packed their things and fled the community, he said they didn’t know why they were leaving but couldn’t do anything as Fulani are known to move from one place to another.
“On Saturday, a day before the attack, we noticed the Fulani living near us moving out of the community, we didn’t suspect anything since it is in their nature to move from place to place in search of greener pastures.” Mohammed said.
In neighbouring Dungur, the story is similar as the locals confirmed mass exodus of local Fulani people from the community prior to the attack.
A local Chief in Dungur community who didn’t want his name mentioned told this newspaper that the attackers were Fulani going by the language they heard them speak during the attack. He said the attackers were dressed in green military-like wears and had their faces masked up.
“Before the attack, we used to have Fulani living near us but days before the attack we noticed they were leaving the community, some people even raised alarm but the security agencies ignored.
“Even when the attack was ongoing we made calls to the security but they never showed up. The eventually came around 8pm when the attacker have left. We were even told that the local government chairman of Kanam had to force them to come to the community.
“As I speak with you, over 150 bodies were recovered and buried while some are still missing.” He said.
TMSnews gathered that the communities attacked in Kanam local government area are indigenous peoples, mostly Muslims peasants. This further lend credence to claims by many Nigerians that the attacks going on in northern parts of the country are both ethnic and religious in dimensions.
Communities in Plateau have in recent times come under repeated attacks blamed on terrorists, locals believe to be Fulani militias.
Lawmaker Yusuf Gagdi, representing Pankshin, Kanam, Kanke (PKK) in the House of Representatives, condemned the attacks in a statement while commiserating with the victims families.
