A funeral meant for mourning turned into a flashpoint for protest.
The death toll from last Sunday’s deadly attack in Angwan Rukuba, Jos, has risen to 33, after several victims succumbed to injuries in the hospital.
The figure, up from an earlier count of 28, was disclosed by Jeremiah Satmak, Chief of Staff at Government House Jos, who represented the Plateau State Government at a solemn funeral service for the victims on Tuesday.
Satmak assured grieving families that the government is actively working to uncover the motive behind the killings and bring perpetrators to justice.
He also confirmed that three youths previously arrested by the military in connection with the attack have since been released.
But the funeral did not pass without incident. Outside the church, women and youths staged a protest, demanding the release of the arrested youths and accusing security forces of targeting innocent people while the actual killers remain free.
Protesters vowed to block the burial proceedings until the youths were freed, heightening an already tense atmosphere in the community.
The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Plateau State chapter, Rev. Gomwalk Dunkan, struck a firm note, stating that there can be no peace without justice and calling on the government to ensure accountability.
The Palm Sunday attack follows a series of violent incidents in Plateau State. Just weeks earlier, no fewer than 20 security operatives and vigilantes were reportedly killed in a bandit ambush in the Kanam Local Government Area, painting a deeply troubling picture of recurring violence across the state.
Plateau State is bleeding. And its people are demanding more than condolences.
