Senator, House Leader, 50 others killed in Plateau

The dark cloud of death that has been stalking Plateau State thickened, yesterday, after Senator Gyang Dantong and the Majority Leader of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Mr. Gyang Fulani were killed while attending the mass burial of about 50 victims of Saturday’s attack on villages in Barkin Ladi and Riyom local government areas of the state.

The killing of the lawmakers came on the heels of the discovery, yesterday, of the remains of over 50 persons mostly women and children burnt inside the residence of a local pastor where they had taken refuge following the attack on about 14 villages by suspected Fulani herdsmen on Saturday.

The two lawmakers were reportedly gunned down at Maseh village in Riyom LGA where over 50 victims of Saturday’s attack were being buried.  The gunmen reportedly stormed the venue and opened fire on those present, causing more deaths.

Member representing Barkin-Ladi/Riyom Constituency in the House of Representatives, Mr. Simon Mwadkon was lucky as he escaped with injuries and was resuscitated at the Barkin-Ladi General Hospital where he was rushed to after he fainted.

Senator Dantong was the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP senator representing the Plateau North Senatorial District and was until his death yesterday, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health. The developments which sparked angry reactions across Plateau State was immediately flayed by the senate with Senate President David Mark describing the death as a personal loss. Senator Dantong’s colleagues in the Senate including Senate spokesman, Enyinnanya Abaribe; Senators Pius Ehwerido and Ifeanyi Okowa also paid tributes to a man they described as a gentleman.

Speaker Aminu Tambuwal of the House of Representatives also joined in the condemnation of the killings, describing Senator Dantong as a man of peace whose death is highly regrettable.

The death of the 50 persons in the residence of the pastor of the Church of Christ in Nigeria at Maseh village was believed to have been the handiwork of the suspected Fulani herdsmen who were believed to have torched the house when they discovered that the people had taken refuge there.

Vanguard