Curfew in Gboko as police confirm 7 killed

The Police in Benue State yesterday confirmed seven people killed in Gboko area of the state after suspected criminal elements allegedly attacked them at the motor park.

Governor Samuel Ortom responded to the latested attack in the state by placing a dusk to dawn curfew on the affected town.

State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, who briefed newsmen on return yesterday from assessing the incident, dismissed any religious, tribalism and political undertones.

He said, “At 11am today (Wednesday), we got a report that the Gboko area of the state which before now had been very peaceful was being disturbed. The incident happened between 9am and 10am, some passengers believed to be of Fulani extraction were attacked at the motor park and killed by some criminal gang.

“The victims were attacked right in the park while trying to board a vehicle to Okene. Some said they were going to Taraba. The police rushed to the park on getting the information and the report was that the criminals threw stones at police which took the situation out of control.

“We have gone there for on the spot assessment. We have information that would help us to get the criminals. We are looking at the case as an act of criminality. It’s not religious, political or tribal,” he said.

Owoseni added that some criminal elements were planning in and out of the state to attack settlements around border areas of Nasarawa and Benue states as reprisal of the Kadarako killings, warned that the plan would further escalate security issues and vowed that security agencies would not hesitate to deal decisively with criminal elements.

Earlier yesterday, Governor Ortom imposed a dusk-todawn curfew in Gboko town with immediate effect.

Ortom through his Special Adviser, Media and ICT, Tahav Agerzua, stated that the curfew which would last between 6pm and 6am daily was meant to curb security threats in the area.

Ortom directed security agencies particularly the police and the army to provide round the clock surveillance in the affected town to forestall a breach of peace.

Meanwhile, a resident of Gboko, who saw the seven corpses, told Daily Trust on telephone how the incident took place.

“What has been happening in the last two years is that no Fulani man dares steps his foot in Gboko. There was a time that a Fulani man went to a bank to do transaction, and the next thing was that they killed him.

“There were seven passengers that came, and they had to pass through the Gboko Park to board another vehicle. They told my friend at the gate that they were from Jalingo going to Akure.”

The resident said the passengers were attacked. “They beat them to pulp and three of them died instantly. The other four later died. We just returned from the cemetery where we buried them. The corpses were initially taken to the mortuary, but the people went there and forcefully took them out and burnt them.”

The resident, who did not want to be named for fear of being attacked, said he could not ascertain the identity of the victims because they were faircomplexioned and they looked like Fulani.