Breaking: 5 killed in fresh ambush as tension mounts in Plateau community

Four Irigwe youths lost their lives in the late hours of Sunday in an ambush around Kwal district of Bassa LGA of Plateau State, while another one, suspected to be among the attackers was killed in the fracas.

Reports reliably gathered by our reporter says the four victims were returning to Miango from Kwal around 9pm when they were ambushed by gunmen. 

Instantly, three of the men died while the fourth died at Enos Hospital Miango in the early hours of Monday, as a result of an injury sustained from the attack.

It was however alleged that the attacker that was killed in the process was rescued by some people to Miango town.

An eye witness said gunshots rained the air allegedly by a rival community to cover up the identity of the attacker and his accomplices.

This however set confusion in the town for the most of the night with women and children leaving their homes to safety zones for fear of the unexpected.

The four youths killed in the ambush were buried in the early hours of Monday according to strict traditional rights, Gastor Barrie, a Community leader says.

The News Chronicle attempted to hear from the former Hausa Community leader in Miango(Sarkin Hausawa), Musa Garba Musa, and according to him, the Hausa community was not involved in the attack. When asked about the allegation that the deceased Hausa boy was involved in the attack and killed in the process, he denied the claim, saying, “he was killed in his shop” by unknown persons.

Also, a call to the Plateau State Commissioner of Police, Edward Chuka Egbuka was unsuccessful as he did not pick his call. The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Plateau State Command of the Force, Ubah Gabriel Ogaba, however, said he was not aware of the crisis.

Meanwhile, the mainly Christian Miango Community had long-standing issues with the Hausa community who are mainly Muslims, with the former accusing the latter of conspiring with the Fulanis who are involved in an over-a-decade long war with the Irigwe people.

The Irigwe/Fulani clashes have claimed over 300 Irigwe lives and an unspecified number of Fulani lives with property worth millions of naira destroyed in the process.

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