By Yakubu Busari, Jos
The people of Sopp community of Riyom LGA of Plateau state said at the weekend that two persons were killed and three others severely injured from gunshot wounds by gun wielding attackers yet to be fully identified.
According to a self-identified youth leader, Soloman Dachung, the killed and wounded include two young men, a fifteen year -old Miss Simi Danladi and a sixteen year -old boy whose mouth was shattered by bullets.
Danjuma Kaze, father of the 16 year-old, who protested the shooting of his son
Dachung told journalists that, “ there is an abandoned well that was dug in 1985 near a check point, so the security men at this check point saw these youths. They asked them to entered the well and excavate it for them to use, but the first group refused and left. When these three guys came, they were forced to enter the well, the first entered and could not come out, same as the second one.
“So when they asked the third boy to enter, he asked to be giving a rope, which he said should be tied on his waist, which was done. But as he was entering he realised that either the well had been poisoned or the gas inside was too much and he shouted to be pulled out, alerting the soldiers that the two inside the well had already suffocated and died.
“When he noticed that the STF showed unconcerned about the death of these two young men, he raised the alarm which attracted some youths to the area. The STF guys opened fire on seeing them, resulting to the death of the three youths.
The 16-year-old shot in the mouth, responding to treatment at a hospital
He said he met the youths agitating and scattering the army’s tent in the area following the death of two youths whom the soldiers had forced to clean the fumigated well. He had barely succeeded in controlling the demonstrating youths ,when suddenly some “soldiers resurfaced from nowhere and started shooting sporadically, shot a boy on the mouth, shot the father who protested against the shooting of his son.”
Efforts to speak with the local authorities there failed, as the phone numbers of the transition Committee Chairman of the area, Danboyi Jugul, was switched off.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Plateau State Command of the Nigerian Police Force, Terna Mathiase Tyopev, confirmed the incident. He however said that after he received signal about the incident from the area, the police mobilised there to engage the services of the youths, adding that he was unaware of any casualties to that effect.
One of the victims who was seen with a bullet wound on his left leg, Danjuma Kaze, told our correspondent that he was shot by the men of the STF
“When the youths started protesting, one of officer shot my son. In anger, I jumped at him and grabbed him; he shouted that I was trying to disarmed him, and a soldier turned and shot me in the leg”.
He said he would be able to identify the Mobile Policeman by face and not by name because they all removed their name tags.
Simi claimed one of the soldiers had wanted to befriend her but she turned down his proposal. “Since that day , the officer promised to deal with me” she said.
Meanwhile, a House of Assembly member representing Pankshin North , Mrs Alice Dimlong has described the killers of 29 helpless women and children recently in in Plateau “as blood suckling demons “..
She said ,”It is shocking and graphic seeing the butchered remains of our people by blood sucking demons who only find pleasure in killing. As a mother, it is very painful seeing little babies and innocent children who do not know their left or right being senselessly massacred”.
She advised the Irigwe nation to know that their families, the peace loving people of Pankshin North and Plateau at large think and feel with their painsat “this trying times of their lives; our hearts goes out for you all.”
One of the victims with a bandaged left foot
