BY : Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor
A pastor was shot and killed while on his way to a church service in Nigeria’s Plateau State on Sunday morning, one of at least nine people killed in a series of attacks in rural communities over the weekend.
The pastor was walking to a church service at Dorowa Babuje in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area with a second victim when both were shot, Leadership reported.
Neither victim had been named publicly as of Sunday, according to National Accord.
The killing added to rising tension in Kantoma and other communities in Barkin Ladi LGA.
The pastor’s murder came hours after five passengers headed to work as day laborers were shot and killed Saturday night while traveling to Gana-Ropp, also in Barkin Ladi.
Ukasha Garaba, the Pyem Youth Leader in Gana-Ropp, was quoted as saying that the bodies had been recovered from the scene. “We evacuated the corpses of five persons from Gana-Ropp. They were passengers who were traveling as laborers,” he said.
Garaba called the killings painful and urged authorities to act quickly to prevent further attacks on travelers.
Bulus Dabit, the natio
Rwang Tengwong, a spokesman for the Berom Youth Moulders (BYM), a group representing the Berom ethnic community, condemned the attacks as worrisome and unacceptable. “We condemn these attacks in the strongest terms and call on the security agencies to urgently strengthen their presence in the affected communities. The killing of innocent people must stop,” he was quoted as saying.
Tengwong called for a prompt investigation, with the attackers arrested and prosecuted. He also asked residents to stay calm and watchful, and pressed security agencies to act before more lives and property were lost.
Attackers also killed or took cattle from farms at Dorowa Maranba and along the Kantoma axis around 3 a.m. Sunday.
Plateau State, in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, has experienced recurring violence for more than two decades. The state sits at the boundary between Nigeria’s mostly Muslim north and mostly Christian south.
The Nigerian government set up a joint security task force known as Operation Safe Haven in 2010 to help maintain security in Plateau State and parts of neighboring Bauchi and Kaduna states. The task force includes personnel from the Nigerian army, navy, air force, police and other security agencies, and its headquarters is in the state capital, Jos.
However, attacks on rural communities in Plateau State have continued, and local leaders have repeatedly said the measures in place have not stopped the killings.
Rights groups say thousands of people have been killed in Plateau State’s recurring violence over the past two decades, with tens of thousands more displaced from their homes. Barkin Ladi and Riyom, the local government areas hit by the weekend’s attacks, have for years been among the areas most frequently affected.
nal president of the Mwaghavul Development Association, an advocacy group for the Mwaghavul ethnic community, confirmed the deaths at Gana-Ropp and called on security operatives to pursue the attackers.
Dabit said residents kept living in fear because the attacks had not let up, and called for those responsible to be arrested and prosecuted. He urged authorities to boost security in communities exposed to attack.In Riyom LGA, attackers killed a woman at Baten Wereng late Saturday, and killed a second victim at Ratyidi in the Fan District.
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