8th July, 2012
The Plateau Government has imposed a curfew on four local government areas of the state “with immediate effect’’.
The local government areas are Jos North, Jos South, Barkin Ladi and Riyom.
A statement signed by Information Commissioner, Mr Abraham Yiljap, in Jos in on Sunday, quoted Plateau Governor, Chief Jonah Jang, as saying that the curfew became necessary “in view of the prevailing security situation” in the state.
It said that the curfew would start from 7.30 p.m. on Sunday, to 7.00 a.m. on Monday, and added that it would start from 6 p.m to 7 a.m from Monday “till further notice’’.
The curfew came in the wake of the dastardly killings today of Senator Gyang Dantong and Plateau state assembly member, Gyang Filani by gun men suspected to be Fulani herdsmen.
The two legislators had gone to visit Kakuruk Village, in Barkin Ladi council area, where there was a massacre by the same herdsmen of villagers.
Mr. Ruwang Dantong, the brother of Senator Gyang, said that the senator, 53, died after seeing the dead bodies of his kinsmen.
Ruwang also confirmed the death of Assemblyman Gyang Filani, representing Barikin Ladi constituency in Plateau House of Assembly.
Ruwang said that both representatives were at the scene of the attack carried out between Friday and Saturday when they started hearing gunshots from another set of attackers.
Shocked by the situation, the duo collapsed and were taken to Barikin Ladi General Hospital where they were pronounced dead.
Meanwhile, the Senate President, David Mark has described the death of Sen. Gyang Dantong in Plateau as “shocking’’ and a “personal loss’’.
He said that government at all levels and security operatives must urgently take appropriate action to stop “the senseless and incessant killings of innocent Nigerians’’.
Mark expressed the view in a statement signed by his Media Adviser, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja on Saturday.
“We must do everything within the ambit of our laws to ensure that this type of murderous acts is stopped.
“As a nation, we must just rise against those who are determined to return us to a state of nature where life had little or no value,” Mark said.
Mark described Dantong as “a patriotic parliamentarian, quintessential gentleman and committed nationalist who was killed in active service to his fatherland’’.
He called on the security agencies to bring the perpetrators of “ this gruesome deaths to justice.’’
Until his death, the deceased was the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health.