No fewer than five lives were lost and several housed razed on Tuesday, October 28, 2014, at Funturu village in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State when some youths suspected to be from Irigwe ethnic group, attacked a neighbouring Rukuba community using sophisticated weapons .
Also, about 50 people have been killed following the continuous fight between the two communities over land ownership.
The two communities have been at logger-heads over a land dispute. Only a week ago, the police in Jos averted what could have been a bloody communal clash between the two communities. Some Irigwe youths were said to have attacked the Rukuba community as a form of reprisal, after an old woman was allegedly killed by some youths perceived to be from the Rukuba community, Punch reports.
While confirming the incident,the Plateau State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Emmanuel Abuh, said that only two people were killed and three others wounded contrary to the initially reported five dead victims.
Abuh disclosed that some officials have been sent to the area in order to restore calmness to the situation.
He said, “At about 12.30 hours of Tuesday, youths suspected to be of Irigwe extraction attacked one village called Funturu in Bass and in the course of the attack, two persons were shot dead, while three others were wounded. The wounded persons were taken to the hospital for treatment while the dead were evacuated to the mortuary.”
Abuh disclosed that the youths of the Irigwe community were suspected to be among the rebels because they were speaking their native language during the attack.
The spokesperson for the of Rukuba community, Prof. Aboi Madaki, who alleged that about two people were abducted during the attack lashed out on the Irigwe community for making it difficult for peace to reign between the two communities.
