The Plateau Command of the Nigeria Police, has said that its officers have arrested seven suspects in connection with the massacre of villagers in Plateau State.
The command spokesperson, Alfred Alabo who disclosed this on Friday to newsmen, in Jos, capital of the state, said security operatives had restored calm to the affected Kubwat and Fungzai villages in the remote Mangu district, adding that the police would continue to monitor the area with a view to preventing more attacks.
Witnesses informed that gunmen invaded Mangu early Tuesday morning and opened fire on villagers, burnt many houses before security the arrival of operatives.
Residents claimed that more than 100 people were killed, and blamed ethnic Fulani militias for the bloodshed.
They said thousands of people who fled their homes to escape the violence had yet to return to the villages.
However, Alabo during briefing, said even before the attacks, tensions were high in the area because of disputes between farmers and herders over grazing land.
In a phone interview with VOA, he said he was not sure of the death toll.
“It’s a place that was riddled with crisis. You can’t just be jumping [to conclusions] and be giving figures. They told me over 30 persons at that time, so we’ll get more information”, he said
According to Alabo, “The situation had been brought under control. We have so far been able to calm the situation in that general area. But we’re still monitoring. We have some suspects already in custody presently with Operation Safe Haven.”
Communal clashes over scarce grazing land and water resources have plagued Nigeria’s central region for decades. Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau states are among the ones most impacted by the disputes with victims of the clashes recovering in at the University of Teaching Hospital (UJTH).
A survivor of the attack, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said security officials arrived too late. “It was something that I never expected to happen,” he said. “Many people were killed. It was a big tragedy, what I saw in that place. About 100 people were killed, many were displaced, and some are in the hospital.”