As the death toll from the Monday night attack on a beer parlour in
Heipang in Barkin Ladi local government area hits ten, the Chief of
Defense Staff, Admiral Ola Ibrahim, has been charged to investigate the
alleged involvement of soldiers.
Chairman of the local government, Mr. Emmanuel Loman, while addressing
journalists in Jos yesterday, said the survivors of the attack had
identified a corporal as one of the attackers.
The corporal, who was identified as Salisu Gidado and a riot policeman
serving with the Special Task Force (STF) were allegedly dressed in the
attackers attires.
He was said to have been injured severely during the attack, and was taken to the state specialist hospital.
He said: “The fear of my people is that the long held perception that
most of the attackers on the communities in Barkin Ladi are carried out
with the complicity and connivance of some security personnel that have
been entrusted with the responsibility of protecting lives and property
is further founded by this.
“I therefore strongly appealed to the Chief of Defense Staff to order a
thorough investigation of the attack and the role played by the STF
personnel and the fifth columnists among the personnel.”
But the STF, though confirmed that ten persons were killed in the
attack, declined comment on the allegation of the force’s complicity.
The spokesman of the STF, Captain Salisu Mustapha, in a statement said
the gunmen opened fire on customers who came to unwind at the bar
killing eight on the spot, while two died in the hospital as a result of
gunshots wound.
The statement said in protest of the killings, members of the community
barricaded the highway preventing commuters from using the road, adding
that the troops deployed along the high way dispersed the protesting
youths and brought the situation under control.
It further said the STF was monitoring the situation to avert any ugly incidence on commuters plying the road.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment