Senate urges Nigerian military to investigate Jos killings

The senate has urged the Military High Command to carry out a thorough investigation into recent killings in Jos, Plateau State.

The senator representing Plateau state, Victor Lar, raised the motion.

He said the culprits used the Nigerian Army uniforms to carry out their operations, making it difficult for them to be identified.

“Their operations tended to imply that they are not genuine Nigerian army personnel because they used machetes to hack down people, they shot at and killed women and children,” he said.

“They killed uniformed policemen and civil defence personnel; they burnt down every house within reach and they used petrol to burn the bodies of the victims that they killed.”

Mr. Lar termed the attack a crime against humanity, that violated the provisions of the Geneva Convention.

“The essence of making these explanation is that when our brothers and sisters in the North-East were under the heavy yoke of insurgency and there were operations that tended to imply that it was either the army or Boko Haram, the Senate took the wise decision of listening and sending a committee to investigate and report it,” he said.

“I plead with my colleagues to consider that the lives of Nigerians are at stake and it may happen in any other districts.

“I plead that this Senate shows the usual understanding it has been showing in attending to the plight of members of my constituency.”

According to Mr. Lar, the perpetrators in about 11 hilux vehicles and one truck raided Wase Local Government of the state.

He added that in the process, they raided five villages, killed over 50 people, wounded over 100 and displaced more than 20,000 people who now seek refuge in Lantang South Local Government.

The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, suggested that the Committee on Defense should contact the military high command to verify the identity of the perpetrators.

“We condemn it and hope it will come to an end at the shortest possible time,” Mr. Ekweremadu said. “Since we are not sure whether the attack came from the Armed Forces, insurgents or armed militia or any form of attack on ordinary citizens.”

He also sympathized with the people of Wase LGA and the people of Plateau state for this unfortunate incident.

On Saturday morning , May 22, nine villages were attacked, leaving over 20 people killed in Barikin Ladi Local Government of Plateau state.

The security agencies in Barikin Ladi and Jos said the attack might have been a revenge by the Fulanis.

The immediate cause of the attack is still unknown.