- Title: NIGERIA: Fulani herdsmen kill 11, raze six villages in central Nigeria.
- Date: 4th May 2012
- Summary: JOS, NIGERIA MAY 3, 2012) (REUTERS - ACCESS) HOUSE DESTROYED BY ATTACKERS INTERIOR OF DAMAGED HOUSE, /SMOULDERING WRECKAGE / COOKING POT ON THE FLOOR HOUSE BURNT NEAR A CHURCH (SOUNDBITE) (English) PAM DADAN, HEAD OF SOPP VILLAGE, SAYING: "In fact as you can see the environment is almost every house here was burnt...more than 70 to 80 houses are within this area... now apart from the other ones there... in fact it's roughly, if I am not mistaken, it's roughly 150 houses were burnt down and we have lost 2 people at the moment." MORE OF BURNT HOUSES SHOWING LITTERED HOUSEHOLD ITEMS INSIDE OF A BURNT HOUSE, DESTROYED GENERATOR CHICKENS MOVING ABOUT DESERTED COMPOUND (SOUNDBITE) (English) DANIEL DEM, OFFICIAL RIYOM LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCIL, SAYING: "Well, so far in Jol two people have been killed one in Gom Rim, in Sopp there are two and.. there are so many people in the hospital that are lying because of the gun shots and you can see people are now homeless people and moving up and down helter skelter, no where to stay." VARIOUS OF BURNT HOUSES PEOPLE CARRYING ITEMS ON THEIR HEADS WALKING AWAY FROM SCENES OF DESTRUCTION SECURITY VEHICLE AT THE DESTROYED SETTLEMENT BURNT REMAINS OF A CHURCH SMOKE COMING OUT OF REMAINS OF BURNT HOUSE FOOD STUFF AND FIREWOOD SALVAGED FROM THE ATTACKS (SOUNDBITE) (English) SAMUEL DABAI, PLATAEU STATE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER, SAYING: "So far no arrest has been made because it will be very difficult for us to make arrests because I could remember even yesterday when our policemen went there to calm the situation, they were repelled by unknown gunmen which nobody knows who they are and they had to retreat for the meantime." WOMEN CARRYING GOODS AWAY ON THEIR HEADS SECURITY ON PATROL IN VAN PEOPLE FLEEING AT THE SOUND OF GUN SHOTS
- Embargoed: 19th May 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Nigeria
- Country: Nigeria
- Topics: Conflict,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVABGMH7VF0KAXGQFC1DQ7Z61AXK
- Story Text: At least 11 people were killed and several others injured when armed nomadic herdsmen invaded six villages in the Riyom local government area near Nigeria's volatile town of Jos, witnesses said.
Several houses and churches were burnt down in the raid on Wednesday leaving hundreds homeless.
Pam Dadan, head of the Sopp village said nomadic herdsmen arrived in the area in large numbers and attacked the villagers in the middle of the night, shooting them and hacking several with machetes before burning down their homes.
"In fact as you can see the environment is almost every house here was burnt...more than 70 to 80 houses are within this area... now apart from the other ones there... in fact it's roughly, if I am not mistaken, it's roughly 150 houses were burnt down and we have lost 2 people at the moment," he said.
Some residents such as Daniel Dem, a local government official, said the raids had been going on for the last two weeks but Wednesday's attack was the deadliest.
"Well, so far in Jol two people have been killed one in Gom Rim, in Sopp there are two and.. there are so many people in the hospital that are lying because of the gun shots and you can see people are now homeless people and moving up and down helter-skelter, no where to stay," said Dem.
Already hundreds have fled the area of the attacks and taken refuge at various police stations and primary schools in the local council area. Many of them have no food or clean drinking water.
The villagers said so far no arrested have been made for Wednesday attack.
"So far no arrest has been made because it will be very difficult for us to make arrests because I could remember even yesterday when our policemen went there to calm the situation they were repelled by unknown gunmen which nobody knows who they are and they had to retreat for the meantime," said Samuel Dabia, a government official.
The tensions in Jos are rooted in fierce competition for local political power and control of fertile farmland, and local government policies have done little to calm them. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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