MORE than 20 corpses were yesterday dumped at the main gate of the State Government House in Little Rayfield following an attack on Yelwan Zangam village in Jos North Local Government Area of the state.
The protest by hundreds of angry youths was in the aftermath of Tuesday’s night attack on Yelwan Zangam, a community inhabited by the Anaguta ethnic group in the outskirt of Jos, the state capital.
While police authorities have confirmed the attack, they were yet to give details of the actual number of people killed and the suspect behind the act.
However, the angry youths and women who staged the protest wailed and called for justice as security agents prevented them from accessing seat of government.
In a swift reaction, the state government yesterday re-imposed the 24-hour curfew earlier relaxed in Jos North and said 10 suspects have been arrested in connection with the attack on the Yelwan Zangam community.
Governor Simon Bako Lalong had earlier called an emergency security meeting over the incident where he condemned the attack and warned that criminals will be pursued, arrested and dealt with, no matter how long it takes.
In a statement by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Dr Makut Simon Macham, the governor described the attack as barbaric.
He said security personnel have been directed to intensify efforts in tracking down other assailants and their sponsors to bring them to justice.
Lalong, who said his administration will not allow the reign of terror to persist and rubbish all the investments made in restoring calm in the state said that he was furious over the incident which security reports indicate was carefully planned.
“The bridge linking the village was said to have been destroyed to deny security forces access to the area during the attack,” the statement reads.
He said the proactive decision in re-imposing the curfew became necessary following the threat to lives and properties within the LGA and the need to forestall the breakdown of law and order.
“It will also enable security agencies to deploy appropriately to maintain security as the search for the attackers of the villagers continues,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the state government said it will shoulder the responsibility of burying those killed in the Yelwan Zangam community as well as others the state could access.
The Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dan Manjang, told Channels TV that government will carry out the burial accordingly adding that the dead would be taken to their respective communities for the interment.
