Plateau bloodbath: We have buried over 120 persons – Gwangkat, MDA President
…more bodies trapped in deserted villages, calls for humanitarian aid
63, 111 persons killed in Buhari’s eight years – NST
•98,083 killed in 12 years
•27,311 persons killed in President’s first term
•35,800 killed between 2019 and May 2023
A Socio-cultural organization in Plateau State under the umbrella of Mwagavul Development Association (MDA) said it has buried over 120 corpses from the simultaneous attacks carried out by suspected Fulani machineries in communities in Mangu Local Government Area of the State
National President of Mwagavul Development Association, Sir. Joseph Gwangkat disclosed this during a press conference held at the Press Centre Jos, said some of their people are still miss with several others battling between life and death in various hospitals.
He lamented that the coordinated attacks which lasted for four days had some bodies trapped in already attacked communities and can not be access due to the inconsequential number of security personnel deployed to guarantee their safety.
Gwangkat called on his people to defend themselves adding that government has failed in her responsibility of protecting them and their properties. “We are calling on our people to arise and defend yourselves, your God-giving land and properties with all that you have. We will not leave our land of heritage, this is the only place we can call our own; we have no any other place to run to.
“If the security will say they are unknown gun men, if somebody can attacked you and killed you for four days will you say that is unknown? I will not take that language! For four days, even right now they are in some of the communities, are they unknown again? Is just that some people are not doing their job.
” Next to God is government, because no one is stronger than government, and if government is not defending you, did you have government again? If government was there, all these people that have died won’t have died. This happened on Monday night and as I’m talking to you the security presence is grossly insufficient.”
The National President called on the Plateau State government to take full responsibility of the education of children below 10 years who have lost both parents as a result of the conflict and make arrangements for those writing their WAEC Examination.
“Government should take over full responsibility of educating children below age 10 children who have lost both parents as a result of this conflict, while arrangements made for those SS3 students whose WAEC Exams were disrupted as a consequence of this conflict.”
He lamented over the humanitarian crisis in the communities and described it as overwhelming and pathetic for the sociocultural organization and the local government to handled at the moment.
“People are either squatting with relatives, neighbors, in Churches and other available public places. They need food, toiletries, medication and places where they can rest their heads. There is trauma and psychological depression. There is fear of even their safety where they are taking shelter as the threats spread across the Local Government.”
He reiterated that there is no time that his people left their land in search of perceive enemies to attack and killed them. “But enemies of the state have consistently mobilized themselves at national and sub national level to come and attack smaller tribes like ours, and by such acts reconfirm the fears of insecurity and marginalization of minority groups of Nigeria at independence.”
Meanwhile the Plateau State Commissioner of Police CP Bartholomew Onyeka has said additional 2 suspects were arrested, bringing the total to 7 suspects so far apprehended in connection to the carnage.
“Two (2) more suspects have been arrested and exhibits recovered from them include two (2) cutlasses, one (1) dagger and some amount of money suspected to have been stolen from the houses they looted, as they were all arrested in the act of committing the crime by officers from one of our tactical team led by Supol Bamidele know Eagle eye unit . The suspects are presently in our custody and will be charged to court for prosecution after our investigations are concluded.”
Onyaka I a press statement signed by the Public Relations Officer DSP, Alfred Alabo said over 40 persons with various degrees of injuries are currently receiving treatment at various hospital in Mangu LGA. “Manret hospital had about Fifteen (15) injured persons, Infinity hospital had over Eight (8), Allah Nakowa Hospital had over Sixteen (16) while at Mangu Cottage Hospital there are unspecified number of persons receiving treatment there also.” He stated.
Meanwhile, the lives wasted in Mangu are among the 63,111 that have been killed since outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office on May 29, 2015.
According to data obtained from the Nigeria Security Tracker, NST, a project of the Council on Foreign Relations’ Africa programme, the deaths arose from terrorism, banditry, Herders/farmers clashes, communal crises, cult clashes, and extra-judicial killings among others.
The NST documents and maps violence in Nigeria that is motivated by political, economic or social grievances. “Different groups in Nigeria resort to violence. The militant Islamist movement Boko Haram is active in northern Nigeria. Violence among ethnic groups, farmers, and herdsmen sometimes acquires religious overtones. A new generation of Niger Delta militants threatens war against the state. Government soldiers kill civilians indiscriminately. Police are notorious for extra-judicial murder,” it said.
The 63,111 death toll is conservative because only reported cases from multiple sources were included. And many cases are under-reported or not reported at all.
Thus, the NST statistics should be viewed as indicative rather than definitive.
Since the NST started the data on May 29, 2011, when former President Goodluck Jonathan was inaugurated, no fewer than 98,083 Nigerians had been killed.
When President Buhari assumed office on May 29, 2015, the cumulative number of people killed in Nigeria, according to the NST was 34,972. Since then, the death figure has risen to 98,083 as of May 16, 2023.
Since 2015, Nigeria recorded the least killings in 2017 when 4618 persons died and the worst in 2021 when 10575 lives were wasted (see table).
However, the death tolls have been going down since 2022 when 9079 deaths were recorded.
How 63,111 Nigerians were
killed in
8 years under
Buhari
Year Deaths
2015 5556
2016 5763
2017 4618
2018 6565
2019 8340
2020 9694
2021 10575
2022 9079
2023 2921
Total 63,111
*Killings between June and December 2015
**As of May 16, 2023
Timeline of killings in May 2023
*May 1: Bandits killed two and abducted four in Zaria, Kaduna.
*May 1: Kidnappers abducted three and killed one in Akwanga, Nassarawa.
*May 2: Kidnappers abducted twelve in Owan East, Edo.
*May 2: Gunmen killed one police officer in Aba, Abia.
*May 2: Herders killed three in Boripe, Osun.
*May 3: Gunmen killed a youth leader in Ahoada East, Rivers.
*May 4: Gunmen killed three police officers in Orumba South, Anambra.
*May 4: Soldiers killed 23 bandits while one soldier was killed during a clash in Shiroro, Niger State.
*May 6: Troops killed two Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) commanders and “several” other ISWA militants (est. at twelve total) in Konduga, Borno.
*May 7: Gunmen killed one police officer and kidnapped the Taraba local government chairman in Takum, Taraba.
*May 7: Bandits abducted forty from a church in Chikun, Kaduna.
*May 7: Bandits abducted thirteen and killed one in Kagarko, Kaduna.
*May 7: Security operatives killed four kidnappers in Idemili North, Anambra.
*May 7: Communal violence led to one death in Mokwa, Niger.
*May 8: Herders killed three in Guma, Benue.
*May 8: Cult clashes resulted in 16 deaths in Uyo, Akwa Ibom.
*May 9: A cult clash resulted in three deaths in Owo, Ondo.
*May 9: Herders killed six in Guma, Benue.
*May 10: Security forces killed seven gunmen in Nnewi South, Anambra.
*May 10: Gunmen killed two in Mangu, Plateau.
*May 10: ISWA killed three Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Damboa, Borno.
*May 11: Troops killed 11 ISWAP militants in Abadam, Borno.
*May 11: Kidnappers abducted an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Ehime-Mbano, Imo.
*May 12: Bandits abducted fifty in Rijau, Niger State.
*May 12: Communal violence led to 13 deaths in Karim-Lamido, Taraba.
*May 12: A pastor, Daniel Danbeki and 37 others were killed by suspected herdsmen in attacks on Takalafia and Kwaja in Karu LGA of Nasarawa State
*May 12: Communal crisis between Amazaba community of East Obolo and ikot Akpab Udo village in Ikot Abasi LGA of Akwa Ibom State claimed four lives
*May 14: A man shot his elder brother and cut off his head and private parts at Ekori in Yakkur LGA of Cross River State.
*May 15: Gunmen killed 29 person’s at Kubwat and Fungzai villages in Mangu LGA of Plateau State.
*May 15: Three soldiers were killed and 10 were injured while repelling an ambush on their convoy by Islamic State of West Africa Province, ISWAP, terrorists in Abadam, Borno State.
May 15: A man killed his stepmother with a pestle in Ihima Obeobe Ebozohu community, Okehi LGA of Kogi State
*May 16: Gunmen killed four US Embassy officials in Ogbaru LGA, Anambra State.
*May 16: 10 persons including a couple and their only child were killed in attacks on Akpanta, Ochumeko and Ijaha communities in Apa LGA of Benue State by suspected herdsmen
*May 16: An EFCC official was killed by two of his colleagues in Sokoto following a disagreement on custody of items belonging to a suspect.
*May 16: Kidnappers killed one person and kidnapped three including Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, immediate younger brother of the Akogun Oyedepo, Chairman, Governing Council of Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti along Ijara-Isin/Isanlu Isin Road in Kwara State.
