(NAN)As the death toll rises to 17 in the attack on Numa Kochu settlement in Nasarawa by gunmen, Governor Tanko Al-Makura, has given security agencies seven days to fish out perpetrators.
The governor gave the order on Tuesday, two days after that attack on the village in Akwanga Local Government Area of the state.
Governor Al-Makura who visited the injured victims at the General Hospital in Akwanga condemned the attack.
He promised that the government would treat the incident with all the seriousness it deserves, noting that the attack was unwarranted and worrisome owing to the fact that the state has enjoyed relative peace in the last three years.
“This is something we are going to take seriously. We are going to have a Security Council meeting and I have already directed security operatives to ensure that they fish out these people and bring them to book.
“I need to know who are the perpetrators of this act and I have given about seven days maximum because we want to use that as a deterrent to any group of people who have this propensity for killing people unnecessarily,” he added.
Al-Makura directed that a security base be stationed in the troubled area to give residents a sense of security and promised that the government would be responsible for the medical and funeral bills of the victims, as well as provide succor to the villagers.
“Government is doing the best it can to ensure that the families of the corpses that are lying in the mortuary are given the necessary support for burial and for those that are in the hospital.
“The government has taken full responsibility for Medicare. We have also packaged relief materials that will be taken to the village and the surrounding villages for the welfare of the people
Meanwhile, the Chief Medical Superintendent of the General Hospital in Akwanga, Dr. Gwanje Thomas, confirmed that the number of deaths has risen to 17.
The police authorities in the state said some residents of the community were having a birthday party when the gunmen carried out the attack.
Giving an update on the incident, Dr. Thomas said that two persons among those injured died on Monday night.
The attack forced several women and children to flee their homes, taking refuge in Andaha community and Akwanga.
“Rain fell on Sunday and we all planned to harvest our groundnuts when this incident occurred. Now, we are scattered everywhere and can’t go to our farms. We want the security to stay a little longer, their patrol is not enough,” of the fleeing women said.