Founders of attacked Plateau school: We thank God students were on holiday; it would have been more tragic

It is terrorist attacks that we have been subjected to for quite some time now. Through the grapevine, we learned that they had been planning to wipe out the community, but we are surprised that they went to the school. Our gratitude, however, is that it happened when students were not in session, because it would have been worse.”

These were the words of Da Chollom Gyang, the secretary of a Plateau State socio-cultural organisation, Berom Educational and Cultural Organisation (BECO), founders of BECO Comprehensive Secondary School, whose attack by herdsmen on Monday culminated in the death of two young teachers, a couple who only got married in March this year. The vice principal was also shot and is still battling for his life.

Da Gyang, reacting to the attack, described the horrible incident as part of the ploy to chase out the natives from their ancestral land. According to him, the herdsmen had issued a threat to wipe out the people of Kwi, in Riyom Local Government Area, where the school is located.

The agrarian community was thrown into mourning on Monday with the invasion of the school by the herders who had grazed their cattle into the school premises. They had refused all entreaties to vacate the compound on the claim that they had the authority to graze their cattle anywhere.

In the course of their interrogation by staff members of the school, the herders, many of whom were said to be very young, suddenly went berserk, brought out guns and started shooting indiscriminately. In the process, they shot and killed the two hapless teachers. The shot vice principal is lucky to be alive and is still battling to stay that way.

Riyom and Barakin-Ladi local government areas have been under constant attacks by gunmen suspected to be herdsmen. Just recently, the marauders brutally murdered 21 people in Heipang and injured several others in an early morning attack.

Although, like other schools, BECO Comprehensive Secondary School has been on holiday, a source told Saturday Tribune that the school authorities had summoned its staffers, especially teachers, for a meeting in preparation for the school’s speech/prize-giving day, which was slated for Friday (yesterday).

Narrating the incident, one of the teachers who escaped by a whisker, said: “We came to the school for the compilation of students’ results in preparation for the school’s Speech/Price Giving Day slated for Friday. At about 2.30 p.m., we suddenly began to notice strange movement of cows within the school premises.

“Some of us stepped out to ascertain what was happening. They asked the herders to leave the compound immediately. But instead of leaving, they brought out guns and began to shoot in different directions, thereby causing commotion in the school, the community and neighbouring villages.

“In the process of trying to escape from the scene, two teachers, Mr Rwang Danladi and his wife, Sandra, were gunned down. The husband died on the spot while the wife died on arrival at the Heipang hospital. The vice principal of the school, Dalyop Emmanuel, was shot in the abdomen and is now receiving treatment at the Jos University Teaching Hospital.”

The principal of the school, Mr Dandoro Gyang, who was among those who challenged the herders on the provocative grazing, said noticed the presence of the large number of cattle within the school premises when the meeting was about to be rounded off.

He said: “We were about to round off the meeting when our attention was drawn to a large number of cattle grazing within the school premises. As we enquiring why the cattle were grazing within the compound, they brought out guns and stated that they had authority to graze wherever they wanted and nobody could stop them.

“The staffers who were in the school fled in different directions but one of the teachers was shot and killed instantly while another one died at the Heipang hospital. The vice principal was shot in the abdomen and is now receiving treatment at Jos University Teaching Hospital,” he said.

The principal disclosed that the planned ceremony of the school has been postponed indefinitely as a mark of respect for the slain teachers.

The deceased were identified to Saturday Tribune as Rwang Danladi Davou, aged 30, and his wife, Sandra, 23. A source close to the deceased said that they got married in March this year.

The source, who claimed to be a friend to the late Sandra Danladi, said further that the couple arrived in the school at about 10.30 a.m. on the fateful day and were engrossed by the marking until the killer-herdsmen strayed into the school to carry out their evil act.

The source described the slain teachers as easy going and always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone in need.

A community leader in the area, Ibrahim Dalyop, expressed disappointment that despite the several complaints lodged with the security agencies and the government about the provocative method of grazing by the Fulani herdsmen in the local government and other parts of the state, nothing has been done to restrain the herdsmen.

“These people are so bold that they are no longer afraid to carry out their nefarious activities. They lead their cows into your farm in broad daylight, and if you dare confront them, they are ready to gun you down. Quite a lot of people died in this horrible way. I don’t believe that they are ordinary herders; they are terrorists camouflaging as herders,” he said.

Dalyop stated that until the government and security agencies take a decisive action against the terrorists and stop open grazing, such effrontery, brazen attacks and destruction of farms will continue.

The BECO scribe, Da Chollom Gyang, said the organisation made several requests to meet with the former Commissioner of Police in the state on the need to have a police post in the community, but the requests were not granted before he left. He said part of the intention then was to bring the school under adequate protection.

A cross section of people who spoke to Saturday Tribune on the attack called for military actions in places identified as enclaves of the terrorists from where they have been launching attacks on villages and communities in Barakin-Ladi and Riyom local government areas of the state.

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