By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
More victims who were receiving treatment in the hospital from injuries sustained from the Palm Sunday attack on the Angwan Rukuba community in Plateau State have died, bringing the death toll from the attack to 33.
The Chief of Staff to the Plateau State Governor, Jeremiah Satmark, confirmed this on Tuesday, April 7, while representing Governor Caleb Mutfwang at a funeral service held at the ECWA Church in Angwan Rukuba, Jos.
Satmark assured that the state government would ensure that the perpetrators of the crime are brought to justice, while urging residents to remain vigilant and prayerful.
The Chief of Staff also announced that three youths arrested in the wake of the attack had been released.
Speaking at the funeral service, Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the state, Reverend Gomwalk Dunkan, stressed the need for stakeholders to hold difficult but necessary conversations to address the persistent killings of Christians in the state.
While insisting that justice was the only path to lasting peace, Dunkan said, “There can be no peace without justice. Government must ensure that justice is served for lasting peace to return.”
Recall that the funeral proceedings were briefly disrupted early on Tuesday when women and youths carrying placards refused to allow burials to proceed until the arrested youths were freed.
They alleged that the young men had been unjustly arrested while simply holding sticks, and that the real attackers remained at large.
The funeral proceeded after the three youths were released and brought to the church, sparking jubilation among protesters and mourners.
