Three killed, village razed down in communal clash in Plateau

A woman and two men were killed on Wednesday in a communal clash in Josho, a village in Daffo District of Bokkos Local Government, Plateau State.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that several others were injured in the fracas that took place in the morning.

An insider said that the fracas resulted from an alleged encroachment into the land of some natives by a herdsman, who was moulding mud blocks to build a house.

“It started like a simple disagreement; we all thought it was a very simple misunderstanding that could be settled, but it soon turned bloody, leading to the death of three persons,” the source told NAN.

Simon Angyol, chairman, Interim Management Committee of Bokkos Local Government, who confirmed the clash, described the incident as “shocking and sad”.

He said the corpses of those killed had been taken to a mortuary in a Jos Hospital where those injured were being treated.

“It was a very sad incident, but the area is now calm after security men intervened,” he said.

Mr. Angyol confirmed that the incident resulted from “a very simple disagreement over land encroachment”, saying that it would have been resolved amicably “with a little patience”.

Terna Tyopev, spokesman of the Plateau Police Command, who confirmed the incident, told NAN that the entire village had been razed down.

“The quarrel started like a simple usual disagreement but degenerated into violence leading to the death of three persons while many others sustained injuries.

“From the reports we received, the entire village has been razed down, but calm has returned to the area,” he said.