Dispite a government lockdown in Plateau State in order to curb the Corona virus pandemic, Hura village in Kwall district of Miango Local Government Council of Plateau State, about 40 kilometres North-west of Jos, the state capital, was attacked on Tuesday, 14th April 2020 at about 7:00pm.
Victims account said the “Fulanis came and almost surrounded the village shouting in their language; some shouting ‘Allahu akbar, come out, come out!’ amidst gunshots,” Victoria John, a heavily pregnant woman who has gathered what was left of her entire household belongings in a small sack said. “I was running together with another pregnant woman, whose child (the five-year-old) you saw the corpse on the way here, we ran but they had already surrounded us from this side. The child was screaming, and they wanted to grab her, but she slipped and fell and was able to escape. They killed the child, but she was able to escape.” She added.
The attack killed 9 people including Gyang Yakubu, 16 years old, Sunday Biri, 50 years, and his grand child Luka who was 5 years old. Ishaya Yakubu, 5 years old, Spino Kama. Also killed in the attack were Talatu Daniel, a pregnant woman and her 3-year-old baby and two others.
The dead were buried today, Wednesday 15th April in two graves; five in one, at the western exit of the village and four in another grave at the eastern end of the village.
The leader of the Irigwe chiefdom, His Royal Highness, Rev. Ronku Aka, said, “with this Corona Virus people are suffering but this killing is more dangerous than the Corona Virus, how many people have the corona virus killed in this country? But this incessant killings is getting too much… foodstuff have been burnt. Unless something is done, I don’t know where my people will stay during this rainy season. The rainy season is approaching and these people whose houses have been burnt where are they going to stay? So I am calling on the government to have mercy and come to our aid.”
Soon after the burial, women and children started evacuating the village trekking almost an hour and half to Kwall, another community about 10 miles away.
21 houses were completely burnt while 7 others suffered various degrees of destruction. 39 families were affected by the attack.
