By TAYE OBATERU, EJURA ADAMA & HAUWA BALA,  Jos
It was another day of wailing and mourning in Plateau State yesterday as 12 people were again killed in separate attacks on two villages in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area.

Nine people, including a man, his wife and seven children were killed at Kakpwis Foron while three people were killed at Kunzin by heavily armed gunmen said to have numbered up to 30 and who attacked the villages almost simultaneously.

The vigilante groups in the two villages, according to eyewitnesses, overwhelmed by the superior fire power of the assailants who stormed the villages at about midnight, shot at their victims and used knives to cut them to ensure that none of them survived.

The gunmen suspected to be Fulani, all dressed in black, were also said to have destroyed farmlands belonging to the villagers as they took their exit.

An eyewitness who is a member of the neighborhood watch, Bitrus Manchang, told journalists that they noticed the arrival of the assailants at about 12 midnight and promptly notified other villagers but they were over powered by the sophisticated weapons of the attackers.

Meanwhile, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for an end to ethnic and religious violence in Nigeria’s “Middle Belt,” particularly in and around the city of Jos.  U.N. officials want national and local authorities to address the underlying causes of the deadly attacks.

In a statement released Friday, U.N. Human Rights Chief, Navi Pillay called for a concerted effort to deal with the underlying causes of such repeated violent outbreaks.  Her spokesman, Rupert Colville, says Nigerian authorities should take immediate steps to prevent further violence.

“We encourage the authorities at national and local level to take effective preventative measures against such violence, including by curbing hate-speech and working with civil society, including human rights NGOs [non-governmental organization], religious leaders and academic institutions, to attempt to bring about reconciliation between the various communities.  It is of utmost importance that justice is done and is seen to be done by prosecuting the alleged perpetrators of violence, whoever they may be and ensuring remedies for victims and their families,” Colville said.

Colville says the security forces also must act within the law, and they must be even-handed in their treatment when responding to outbreaks of violence in the country.

He says the security forces sometimes make the situation worse by appearing to take one side or the other.  And, he notes they sometimes react with excessive force, which makes the situation worse.

“In the past, they have gone into Jos and into other areas and reacted very heavy handedly, which resulted in civilians getting killed and just accelerating the resentments.  So, that is something, I think, that the authorities need to try and work on,” Colville said.

Colville describes in appalling detail the vicious attacks, which have occurred between Christian and Muslim youths since early August.  In the last such assault, which took place September 4, he says a family of eight was hacked to death.  And, he says seven more people were reported killed that evening in attacks by youths on a village near Jos.

The traditional head of Kakpwis, Da Ahmadu Dung confirmed that he was alerted of the attack but pointed out that members of the neighbourhood watch could do little because the assailants were well armed with dangerous weapons.

Chairman of Barkin Ladi Locql Government Area, Mr. Emmanuel Loman lamented the continuous attack on his people describing what is happening as genocide and ethnic cleansing.

He expressed worry that his people might begin to take the law into their hands since all appeals to the Federal Government to do something about the situation have not yielded result stressing that the people have been pushed to the wall.

Meanwhile, the Plateau Caucus in the House of Representatives has condemned the outbreak of fresh violence in the state describing it as the handiwork of external forces bent on destabilizing the state.

Addressing a press conference attended by four of the members on Friday, their spokesman, Mr. Bitrus Kaze vowing to resist attempts to plunge the state into crisis or make her a scapegoat.

According to them, “it has come to our knowledge that certain misguided elements are hell-bent on destabilizing democratic structures on the Plateau in the name of emergency rule. We condemn in the strongest terms possible and totally reject their obnoxious calls for the declaration of another emergency rule in Plateau State.

“it is highly suspicious why they single out Plateau State for persecution notwithstanding the precarious security situation in many parts of the country including post election violence and bombings.”