Umar Shuaibu, the leader of Izala movement in Makurdi, Benue State, has revealed how 27 Muslims were killed by a mob of Tiv youths, following killing of two Christian priests and 17 worshipers on Monday.
Speaking to DAILY NIGERIAN on Friday, Mr Shuaibu said the killing began shortly after the bodies of Christians killed at Mbalon Catholic Church in Gwer East Local government area were brought to the the state capital.
According to him, the reprisal attack on Muslims mainly took place near the second gate of the Benue State University, gate of the university teaching hospital, Otukpo Road and Open University general area.
Mr Shuaibu said commuters and pedestrians were waylaid and questioned by the mob. “Once they discovered that their captive is either Hausa or Muslim, they would collect his money, mobile phone and password and then kill him,” he stated.
Shedding lights on the torched mosques, the Muslim leader said the two mosques destroyed by the mob are located at Kasuwa Modern Market.
“Two mosques at Kasuwa Modern Market were affected. One of the mosques was destroyed by the youths during the previous attack. It was later rebuilt, but re-destroyed in this attack,” he said.
On how they arrived at the killing of 27 Muslims, he said some families of the victims identified the remains of their relatives from the file corpses deposited in the morgue in the wake of the reprisal attack.
He added that hospital officials at the Benue State University Teaching hospital also separated the bodies of Muslim victims from the victims of Mbalon church attack.
On his part, the leader of Hausa Community in Makurdi, Bello Sallau Abdulrahman, said they buried nine corpses of Muslims since the crisis began on Tuesday.
“So far we buried nine bodies in batches. We were told the rest of the bodies were withheld by the authorities to forestall counter-reprisal attack,” he told DAILY NIGERIAN on phone.
The Benue State Police Command however dismissed the report on burning of mosques in the state, but kept mum on the reported killing of 27 Muslims in the state capital.
“The Benue State Police Command would like to advise the general public to disregard the information being circulated that four (4) mosque(s) were set ablaze in Makurdi by some hoodlums.
“Similar information is being circulated that another Church was attacked by bandits at Agana Village in Mbaloh Ward of Gwer East Local Government Area of the State.
“These are nothing but falsehood, believably meant to cause break down of law and order in the State.
“It is indeed a difficult period. However, acts of insurgency being witnessed lately have nothing to do with religion, ethnic or political alienation. Therefore, in order to overcome the ongoing security challenges, the collaboration of all is required,” the statement added.
