The military has arrested seven suspects in connection with the attacks on some communities in Plateau State.
Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General John Agim, disclosed this to reporters on Tuesday while parading the suspects in Jos, the state capital.
“Our troops are still getting those who are involved in the attacks on June 23,” he said. “Two of the suspects that our intelligence gathering led us to have been arrested.”
While the suspects – Ibrahim Joji and Mr Madu Ibrahim – were arrested allegedly for the attacks on June 23, the military apprehended three others – Shaibu Suleman, Buhari Shaibu, and Zakamin Abdulkadri – in connection with the killings that took place on July 14.
Brigadier General Agim revealed that the Commander of Operation Safe Haven was relocated to the LGA after President Muhammadu Buhari ordered that the perpetrators of the attacks be brought to justice.
He noted that while the military would continue with the arrest, those apprehended would be handed over to the police for further investigation and prosecution.
The DHQ spokesperson said although no weapon was found with the suspects, they were part of the said perpetrators of the attacks while their trial would take place in Jos.
The arrest of the seven suspects now brings the number of those apprehended so far in connection to the killings to 18.
The attack in June is one of the worst in the series, leaving at least 100 persons dead and several others displaced in Barkin Ladi and other parts of the state.
A day after the killings, the state government imposed a curfew on Barkin Ladi and two neighbouring LGAs – Jos-North and Riyom – to forestall reprisals and the breakdown of law and order.
The attacks had also sparked a widespread criticism and led to the deployment of special forces to the state, while President Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and the Nigerian Governors Forum, among others, paid condolence visits to Plateau.
Although the state government believes that relative peace and calm have returned to the affected areas, it urged residents to show restraint.
On July 2, the Secretary to the State Government, Rufus Bature, announced that the government had relaxed the curfew due to the gradual return of peace to the affected communities.
