Chief Joseph Gwankat, National President, Mwaghavul Development
Association (MDA), has cautioned Mwaghavul youths against opting for
reprisal attacks following the recent killing of 12 of their brothers by gunmen.
Gwankat gave the warning on Friday while addressing the youths of
Kumbun District in Kulben village, where the attack and killing took
place.
Gunmen had on Thursday killed 12 persons and wounded another in an
attack on Kulben village in Kumbun District of Mangu Local Government
Area of Plateau State.
The MDA President, deeply moved by the loss, admonished the youths to
leave everything in the hands of God, whom he described as the greatest
avenger.
He said that God would avenge for the peace loving Mwaghavul nation.
“We are here in your midst today to condole and mourn with you over
the gruesome killing of our brothers and loved ones by enemies of peace
and progress
“The Mwaghavul people are well known to be very peace loving nation
on the Plateau, and we must remain so, even in the face of provocation
like this.
“A reprisal will mean taking the law into our hands and that will do
us no good; therefore, we must not give in to that temptation but must
remain very law abiding,’’he said.
Gwankat , who is the Makama Panyam, described the incident as
unbelievable and very painful, adding that, “as Mwaghavul people, we
have to take it in good faith”
He told the youths that as their leaders, they were appealing to them to remain calm and be law abiding.
He called on the authorities not to rest at tracking down and
apprehending the killers to face the consequences of their actions.
The president, however, lamented the incident of cow rustling that
occurred almost the same time with the attack, which brought about
conflicting reports.
According to him, the over 100 cows allegedly rustled by herdsmen
against their kinsmen had nothing to do with the dastardly attack
launched against us in Kulben village in Kumbun District.
“The Mwaghavul man is not known with cattle rearing talk more of
rustling same. It’s a complete strange thing to us and we will never
involve ourselves in such an evil act.
“We commend the authorities for their quick response at accosting and
arresting the rustlers as well as the recovering of the over 100 cows
rustled,“ he said.
NAN reports that the President and his principal officers paid a
condolence visit to the district head of Kumbun, the families of the
deceased and Mishkaham Mwaghavul, Da Nelson Bakfur, at his palace in
Mangu town.
They had also visited the grave yard, where the slain were laid to
rest and offered prayers for the repose of their departed souls.