The Plateau State Police Command has arrested 11 people including community and Fulani leaders following last Sunday’s breakdown of law and order that led to the killing of 17 people and burning of houses and places of worship in Kwatas district of Bokkos Local Government Area.

Daily Trust gathered that the suspects were in the early hours of Thursday bundled into vehicles and moved to the Criminal Investigations Department at the Force Headquarters, Abuja. The police had on Monday confirmed the killing of 13 people and burning of several houses in Kwatas, which was followed by the killing of four persons as the hostilities spread to neighbouring villages of Dimis, Chenget, Machanby, Murish and Pando in the same district.

However, yesterday’s arrest followed the directive of Governor Simon Bako Lalong to the state Commissioner of Police, Isaac Akinmoyede, to arrest local community leaders and Fulani leaders for their failure to produce suspects. Lalong, who was irked by the community leaders’ supposed lack of knowledge of the attackers said; “How can they say that people are killed and there is no arrest. Are those killing others spirits?”

Our correspondent gathered from security sources that community and Fulani leaders arrested include those from Mangu, Bokkos, Barkin Ladi and Riyom local government areas. Plateau State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Ubah Gabriel confirmed the transfer of 11 suspects to Abuja stating that “for every Ardo that was moved to Abuja, an equivalent of the community leader from that area was equally picked and taken to Abuja.”

masterflowx:
They will soon release them like those deadly Boko Haram.

fasho01:
Sadly, these arrests in reality are usually one sided, involving only one side of the divide

comos:
The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, on Friday justified the arrest of only suspects of Yoruba extraction over the recent clash in Ile-Ife, Osun State, which resulted in the death of about 46 persons. He said crime neither has tribe nor identity.

Idris spoke with State House correspondents shortly after briefing President Muhammadu Buhari of security situations in parts of the country inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The police had been in the eye of the storm for arresting and parading 20 Yoruba persons, including a monarch, over the clash while not a single Hausa/Fulani person was detained.

The pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere; and the Oodua Peoples Congress are among groups and individuals that have been criticising the police over the development.

Idris however said the police would not hesitate to apply the law once criminal cases are established against individuals, irrespective of their tribe.

He said, “You know we are police officers. Crime has no tribe. If you are a criminal, you are a criminal.

“Crime has no face. We don’t look at crime in the identity of where you are coming from.

“As far as you are a criminal and the police find you wanting, we apply the law.”

He said investigation had revealed that the crisis started with a disagreement between two people selling food along the road.

Source from Punch Newspaper

JosEast:

https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/plateau-attacks-11-suspects-moved-to-abuja.html