The inhabitants of Karkuruk,Kuzen, Ruk, Kogoduk, Dogo and Ngyo were living their normal live: farming, rearing animals, going to school and worshiping their creator. That was how normal they were, happy and contented, until on Friday, July 7, 2012, when their homes were destroyed, leaving them homeless till today.

Their sorry state can be noticed when you approach the COCIN Church, LCC Kworos Gangare in Barkin Ladi town. The sight of children, leaders of tomorrow, who should be in their various schools, playing around the church premises, spoke more of the neglect the these people are currently going through.

Not too pleased with the situation, Rev’d Bulus Dung said the displaced victims of the village “have no home and cannot take care of themselves.” The man of God, who was moved by the plight of the people, added that “the norm of the scripture teaches love, sympathy and kindness.”

He gave LEADERSHIP SUNDAY a graphic picture of how the people can to be inmates in his church. “We were here, when all of a sudden, we saw a crowd coming from Gashish district that had been displaced. When they came, we had no option than to receive them and accommodate them in the church.”

Explaining further, he added that “the church was built newly. You can even see the project is ongoing. We have no accommodation, but we just allowed them into the church.

There are about 175 people. We have sympathy for them, as we are worried about their safety. They need mattress and blanket, and I was about telling the people in the town to bring them mattresses when suddenly the Commissioner for Environment, Serah Yusuf, brought some mattresses.”

The reverend said what was brought were shared to the people, while thanking the council chairman for his immense assistance, and some individuals, like the late Gyang Fulani, who came immediately after the incident and offered some amount of money for the displaced people to buy food and soap for their uses.

He added that the communities in the town also came with food items, saying that is how the people have been surviving since they came from Gashish to the area.

Rev. Dung added further that they got some food items from the council and the COCIN Church in Kwol. “The church’s women fellowship also cook food for the people to eat. That is how we have been managing our life since the incident happen,” he said.

According to Dung, there are a lot of children, and old men and women sleeping in the church. He added that so far, they have not got any assistance from the Federal Government.

Mr. Andrew Mashash, a member of Kpwabiduk Village, whose parents are still missing, said: “It is sad that people we know, among many others, led the killings. These are youths we grew up together with. They always pass through this village to go to town, but they brought people to kill our people.

We saw them and were able to recognise them. They chased us to the bridge, but my parents who were too old could not make it to the bridge. Since we have not seen them after the incident, today being the ninth day, we believe they could be dead. It is painful that we have not seen their bodies.’’

The Village Head of Ningwong (Kpwabiduk), Gashish District of Barkin Ladi Council Area, Da Maiuchibi Mafulal, said eight members of his family were killed during the attack, while appealing to both the state and the Federal Government to safeguard their lives as they have no place to run to.

According to Da Thomas John, the village head of Kachin Ward, Gashish District, the Federal Government should assist them with enough security personnel to protect them, while enabling them to do their farming.

He also lamented that their children have not been going to school since the incident occurred. The development, he said, was not good for the children, who are leaders of tomorrow.

More: http://channelkoos.com/index.php/news/2000-plateau-massacre-our-neighbours-led-the-attackers

This was exactly what happened in the 1960s pogroms in the north. Easterners, particularly Igbos, were massacred by the people they lived, dined and played with - who incidentally are the victims of these current killings.

He who perpetrates evil against the innocent or benefits from evil against the innocent will reap the same.

I sympathies with the current victims.