A 60-year-old man, Mr. Yakubu Vong, is now in the police net in Jos, Plateau State, for allegedly setting an 8-year-old girl ablaze at Sabon Layi in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of the state on suspicion of witchcraft.
Vong had allegedly lured his victim, Nancy Dauda to a house where he poured petrol on her and set her ablaze, claiming that the girl was a witch.
James Bamu, an uncle to Nancy, who was very angry and spoke with newsmen yesterday said the girl was innocent of the accusation, asking if the man that set her ablaze has any proof that the girl was a witch.
He described Vong as barbaric, and demanded that the wrath of the law falls on him to serve as deterrence to others who are practicing such evil act.
According to him, the girl unfortunately could not make it when she was rushed to the hospital because she had a major degree of burnt from the fire.
On his part while reacting to the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr, Emmanuel Abuh, described the incident as sad, warning that no one was above the law, and that people should desist from taking the law into their hands.
He added that the suspect was already in police custody and investigations into the matter had commenced.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of the state, Dr. Emmanuel Loman has confirmed that soldiers of the Special Task Force (STF) on Jos crisis yesterday shot and killed two women at Heipang.
The women were allegedly protesting an attack in the area, where an identity card of a soldier was found.
According to Loman, there was a disagreement between the protesting women and the soldiers who mounted a checkpoint in the area. And as argument ensured a soldier from the STF shot at them at close range killing the women.
But the spokesman of the STF Captain Ikediche Iweha, denied that any woman was killed by soldier.
According to him, there was a directive from their headquarters of the need to review checkpoints in the area. And while STF personnel arrived the area to review the checkpoints to decide on which to mount or demolish, some groups mainly women and youths mobilised themselves and were busy destroying the military checkpoints. And in the process, there was a gunshot from the crowd which hit two people.
He said: “I am not aware of any death; nobody died in the confusion, except two women that was hit in the crowd, who sustain injuries and were taken to the hospital for treatment.”
(This Day)
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