• NYSC redeploys 1, 213 corps members from Kano
A FRESH orgy of violence Tuesday claimed 28 lives in Riyom Local Council of Plateau State, thereby heightening insecurity in the area.
The two communities of Da Jak and Attakar of Ganawuri chiefdom in Riyom came under siege when unknown gunmen stormed them in the early hours of Tuesday.
Besides, the rising insecurity in the northern part of the country has made the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to redeploy 1,213 Batch 'A' 2013 members initially posted to Kano. They were sent to their respective states at the close of their three weeks' orientation that terminated yesterday.
According to a reliable source, over 28 persons were killed in the two communities of Plateau State where houses were also burnt. The source further said that the two villages were over-run in a midnight attack by people suspected to be hired Fulani militia.
Confirming the incident Tuesday, the member representing Riyom Constituency in the State House of Assembly, Daniel Dem who spoke with journalists on phone, said "dozens of persons were killed but I can't tell the number of those killed."
The lawmaker, who described the attack as sad, said both villages had been under siege by suspected Fulani militia since last week.
Dem also accused the Special Task Force (STF) deployed to restore law and order in the area of being part of the problem. "My people are being killed every day and yet the Special Task Force is not doing anything about it.
"I am calling for the withdrawal of the STF since they are not capable of handling the crisis that has been rocking the state for a long time," he said.
The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Chris Olakpe, confirmed the incident. He further stated that no arrest was made, adding that his men were carrying out an investigation into the matter.
Eight villages in Ganawuri were razed by the unknown gunmen. It was after that incident that a patrol team of the police went there but were ambushed by the attackers who opened fire on them, killing two of them while the others escaped the onslaught with injuries.
Navy Lieutenant Jude Akpa who spoke on behalf of the Spokesman of the Special Task Force (STF), Captain Salisu Ibrahim Mustapha, who is on a leave of absence, confirmed the death of the two policemen yesterday.
According to Akpa: "The police team was on a patrol of the area when unknown gunmen who had hidden themselves in the surrounding bush opened fire on them by surprise leaving one of the policemen dead. But one other police corpse was later found adjacent to the scene making the number of the dead policemen two."
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Pam Ayuba, who first broke the news, said that the surrounding villages of Ganawuri chiefdom had been deserted by the residents for fear of attacks, adding that their houses have been razed by unknown hoodlums.
Ayuba added that churches were among the houses burnt in the process. According to him, "villages that are affected by the fire included Jadak1, Jadak2, Jadak3, Attaka, Kirim, Zadien, Marid, Luka all set ablaze, including churches."
He said government of Plateau State felt sad and bad over the incident, appealing to the perpetrators to sheathe their swords for peace to reign.
Management Committee Chairman of Riyom Local Council, Mr. Sam Gyang Audu, refused to pick his calls but a source said he would have been to the venue of the crisis but had to shelve it till today because Governor Jonah Jang was swearing in the newly-confirmed Head of Service, Mr. Ezekiel Dalyop and other permanent secretaries at the Government House, Rayfield.
Although the NYSC state Co-ordinator, Alhaji Bashir Salisu Yakassai, confirmed that more than 900 corps members were granted the request to return to their choice of places, information obtained from the NYSC notice board showed that 1,213 were redeployed from Kano State.
The prevailing security challenge in the state, especially the recent Sabon-Gari Motor Park bombing that claimed 25 lives and injured 64 according to security report, has generated tension and discouraged the youths.
While closing the orientation, Kano State Deputy Governor, Dr. Abdullah Umar Ganduje, warned the corps members to be security-conscious while insisting that security was not the responsibility of security agencies alone. The deputy governor warned all state government agencies and private establishments not to reject any corps member posted to them in the state.
At the close of the Batch 'A' 2013 Orientation, the state NYSC co-ordinator told journalists that necessary efforts to secure co-operation of security agencies and stakeholders had been concluded but the scheme would not hesitate to grant the request of anyone who so wished to transfer.
"The concern everywhere is the security of lives of our corps members and I can tell you we are not relenting. We are trying our best to ensure safety even though it is not the responsibility of NYSC alone. We urged them to dress decently. But the recent incident I mean the bomb blast is responsible for this redeployment of our corps members. I guess so because before the development we did not receive any case of redeployment and NYSC cannot force them to stay if they don't wish to do so," he said.
Adekunle Adeshina, a corps member from Lagos State, said staying back may be risky for him. "I actually had the intention to stay back for the service when we were posted but with the latest development, I can't risk it. It's too dangerous to remain in Kano."
Nnamdi Okoro, a graduate of English from University of Nigeria, said: "The camp is interesting and fun but I don't think my people will allow me to stay. You all know the situation of the security, so I can't stay back."
Meanwhile, the Minister of Youth Development, Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir, has said that the government would continue to deploy members of the NYSC in all parts of the country, while allaying fears that the insecurity in some parts of the North was targeted at those on national service.
He faulted reports and speculations that the security of youth corps members may be endangered in northern states following the insurgency of Boko Haram.
Abdulkadri, who spoke in an interview with journalists in Kaduna yesterday, said that "some of these reports about the safety of youth corps members are not correct", pointing out that "It is better we give the correct perception and situation."
The Guardian