Deadly clashes claim lives in Plateau State

Homes were allegedly set on fire and multiple people were killed in a fight between rival youth groups in Plateau State’s Mikang Local Government Area.

Over the course of the Saturday night and early Sunday morning altercation between the Motola and Taroh youths in the area, numerous people suffered injuries.

Musa Ashoms, the state Commissioner for Information, verified the incident to PUNCH Metro in Jos, on Sunday.

The commissioner, who blamed the ugly situation on disputed land in the area, said, “I just called the Mikang Local Government Chairman about it, and he told me that it is something that could have been avoided and not allowed to escalate to the point where people lost their lives; and at the moment, there are people receiving treatment at the hospital.

“It started as a result of a dispute over land. According to the LG chairman, the land in question cannot even produce six bags of rice, and you know when people are attached to their land, they can go the extra mile, and it is something they could have controlled their nerves, but somehow, it got to a point where others too joined them and houses were burnt down, and people were maimed.

“But as it is, the affected areas have gotten relative peace because the Divisional Police Officers in Mikang, Lantang North, and LGAs have come together to address the problem. So, the LG chairman has been on the matter since 8am today (Sunday) to pacify the people and to make them see the need to embrace peace.”