Youths and Soldiers Clash in Plateau over Monarch killing

Five people have been injured and one person killed today, after soldiers serving with the Special Task Force on the Jos crisis opened fire on youths protesting the killing of a monarch in Plateau according to a report via Premium Times.

The youths were said to have blocked a road in Bokkos Local Government Area in the state and refused to allow soldiers into the area, demanding that they produce the killers of the monarch  according to the report.

Also affected by the blockade was the convoy of the police commissioner of Plateau State, Adekunle Oladunjoye, who was later allowed into the area.

Thursday market in the town was sh\ut down due to the crisis that has reportedly caused a number of people to leave the town.

News broke on Monday afternoon that some unknown gunmen suspected to be fulani herdsmen ambushed and killed a monarch identified as Lazarus Agaei alongside his wife, son and a police guard. And then, on Wednesday night, unknown assailants reportedly destroyed homes and attacked residents of the area.

Presently, the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of operations, Habila Joshak, has been deployed from Abuja to ensure the arrest of the killers of the monarch. Mr. Joshak addressed the youths and asked them for peace, assuring them that perpetrators of the crime would be arrested and prosecuted. He also visited the palace of the late paramount ruler where he pleaded for calm.

The DIG said the police was deploying a chopper for an aerial patrol of the local government council for the next two weeks, with the aim of arresting those behind the attacks. He also solicited the cooperation of residents to enable police fish out those behind the attacks.