The leader of Izala movement in Makurdi, Benue State,Umar Shuaibu
has revealed how 27 Muslims were killed by a mob of Tiv youths,
following killing of two Christian priests and 17 worshipers on Monday....
While speaking to DAILY NIGERIAN on Friday, Mr Shuaibu said the
killing began shortly after the bodies of Christians killed at Mbalon
Catholic Church in Gwer East Local government area were brought to the
the state capital.
According to him, the reprisal attack on Muslims mainly took place
near the second gate of the Benue State University, gate of the
university teaching hospital, Otukpo Road and Open University general
area.
Mr Shuaibu said commuters and pedestrians were waylaid and questioned by the mob. “Once
they discovered that their captive is either Hausa or Muslim, they
would collect his money, mobile phone and password and then kill him,” he stated.
Shedding lights on the torched mosques, the Muslim leader said the
two mosques destroyed by the mob are located at Kasuwa Modern Market.
“Two mosques at Kasuwa Modern Market were affected. One of the
mosques was destroyed by the youths during the previous attack. It was
later rebuilt, but re-destroyed in this attack,” he said.
On how they arrived at the killing of 27 Muslims, he said some
families of the victims identified the remains of their relatives from
the file corpses deposited in the morgue in the wake of the reprisal
attack.
He added that hospital officials at the Benue State University
Teaching hospital also separated the bodies of Muslim victims from the
victims of Mbalon church attack.
On his part, the leader of Hausa Community in Makurdi, Bello Sallau
Abdulrahman, said they buried nine corpses of Muslims since the crisis
began on Tuesday.
“So far we buried nine bodies in batches. We were told the rest
of the bodies were withheld by the authorities to forestall
counter-reprisal attack,” he told DAILY NIGERIAN on phone.
The Benue State Police Command however dismissed the report on
burning of mosques in the state, but kept mum on the reported killing of
27 Muslims in the state capital.
“The Benue State Police Command would like to advise the
general public to disregard the information being circulated that four
(4) mosque(s) were set ablaze in Makurdi by some hoodlums.
“Similar information is being circulated that another Church
was attacked by bandits at Agana Village in Mbaloh Ward of Gwer East
Local Government Area of the State.
“These are nothing but falsehood, believably meant to cause break down of law and order in the State.
“It is indeed a difficult period. However, acts of insurgency
being witnessed lately have nothing to do with religion, ethnic or
political alienation. Therefore, in order to overcome the ongoing
security challenges, the collaboration of all is required,” the statement added.
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