Plateau unrest: We have killed over 100 attackers – STF

Following the recent attacks in some villages in Langtang South Local Government Area of Plateau State, which led to several loss of lives and property, the Special Task Force,STF, who are responsible for the maintenance of peace in the State, said they have secured the Southern Senatorial Zone of the State from further attacks and have so far killed more than one hundred insurgents in the area.

Major General Henry Ayoola, who is the Commander of the STF, stated this on Wednesday in a chat with journalists in his office at the STF headquarters in Jos.

According to him, “As soon as the STF got the information, we moved in there to confront the attackers last week, the attackers challenged my troops, but when they discovered we had superior fire, they fled.

“So far, we have killed more than 100 of the attackers before we succeeded in securing the areas. You know it is the practice of the attackers not to leave any of their members behind wherever they come to attack, they picked their corpses along”.

He queried, “It is not true that fighting is still going on there, who is fighting who? We chased the attackers away that same day they came.
We killed them in their numbers and those who escaped never came back.

So who is fighting who in Langtang?

The Commander further stated that, “This is not a case of ethnic crisis between Fulani and Taroh, it was a case where some gunmen came to attack three communities of Langtang South Local Government.

He said, “The fact that we have secured the place by driving the attackers away does not mean we have left the place, the troops are all over the place, conducting intensive patrol dusk to dawn, dawn to dusk.

Ayoola maintained that, “One fact people are not aware of is that the casualties is more on the attackers. We killed more than 100 of them as they tried to escape, no single person from the community has been killed by anyone”

The STF Boss appealed to the people of the affected communities to cooperate with his men by providing them with relevant information and report on any suspicious movement of individuals or group to security agencies.

He urged the affected people who fled their homes out of fear to return home, assuring them that the STF have taken control of the areas.

The Commander called on the citizenry to desist from spreading false information as such could possibly inflame the situation.