JOS—Soldiers of a recently formed military task force in Nigeria’s Plateau State on August 7 opened fire on civilian residents who were protesting a terror raid that killed four people the previous night.
Among the victims of the shooting is a pregnant woman who was co-leading the protest, witnesses told Truth Nigeria.
Several other protesters were injured in the military shooting in Mangu town, located 42miles south of Jos, the State capital.
The military fired their anti -aircraft guns in the air as their truck rolled through the crowd of protesters at 11 am local time, crushing a demonstrator earlier killed, all witnessed as it happened by TruthNigeria.
The masses of local residents expressed outrage over what leaders said was the late arrival of soldiers to repel a terrorist assault August 6 on Nchiya village just one mile from the forward operating base. The brutal attack on August 6 lasted two hours before the military arrived, protestors told Truth Nigeria.
A mass funeral for four killed in Nchiya village was held Monday morning. A local community leader said dozens of skilled terrorists drove terrified women and children out of the village hours before soldiers arrived on the scene.
The protests erupted in Mangu at 7 am Monday August 7 following the attack, with thousands of women and youths blocking roads and waving branches as they sang solidarity songs.
The tense situation escalated when the protestors gathered at the entrance of the newly constructed Forward Operating Base in Mangu town, demanding accountability and removal of the military from the area.
—Masara Kim is an award winning conflict reporter in Jos and Senior editor of TruthNigeria.
Culled from TRUTH NIGERIA
