Date Published: 03/08/10

Jos crisis latest: 400 given mass burial •93 Fulani men arrested

   No fewer than 400 Berom villagers murdered by fulani herdsmen were given mass burial at three different locations in the affected local government area on Monday.

Meanwhile,the police spokesman in Plateau state, Mohammed Lerama, on monday  said  that 93 Fulani had been arrested in connection with the incident.

According to the statement, the first category comprises 19 Fulani who were arrested  after the incident with daggers and knives at Angwari village in Jos East Local Government Area of the state.

The statement pointed out that upon interrogation, they claimed that they were on a revenge mission while four Fulanis were shot dead at Barkin- Ladi by a patrol team.

It further disclosed that the second category comprises 74 persons from Mangu Village who were arrested with prohibited firearms by the Joint Patrol team after an exchange of fire.

The police further added that the evidence so far gathered revealed that it was a reprisal attack and a fall-out of the incident of January, 2010 where some Fulanis  were killed together with their cattle at Vom, Tim Tim, Kuru Jenta and other villages.

There was pandemonium in Jos, the state capital on Monday as rumour filtered through that there were killings on the outskirts. Business premises were hurriedly closed for the day while parents dashed to schools to pick their children for fear of attack.

As a result of the killings on Sunday, the natives, mostly of the Berom ethnic group staged a demonstration on Monday in some parts of the state capital, including the venue of the peace conference in Jos, to express their displeasure at the incident.