Robert Ashi, President of Irigwe Development Association, has denied the rumoured involvement of the members of his community in the deadly attack on Muslim travellers in Plateau State on Saturday.

While speaking on Arise Tv on Monday, Ashi refuted a claim by Gabriel Ubah, the spokesman for the Plateau State Police Command, that the culprits were “suspected Irigwe youths and their sympathizers”. 

“I cannot accept that it was the youths of Irigwe that were involved in the dastardly act,” he said. “The youths were mourning their deaths. We were taking our dead to the village to bury and people were even sympathizing with us.” 

“So, I do not accept anything accusing our youths of being responsible for that act. It is not true.”

On Saturday, 22 Muslims were killed between Gada-Biyu and Rukuba, Jos, while returning from an Islamic event in Bauchi State.

FIJ learnt that the same Saturday had been declared a mourning day for Irigwe following the death of six members of the community in communal clashes a few weeks ago.

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Ashi also condemned Plateau State Government’s biases in addressing security challenges in the state.

“The leadership is treating people with some level of bias. There is no justice in the display of governance. We are so surprised at the impunity with which the crime is labelled on Irigwe,” he said.

“In fact, we have suffered several attacks and nobody has labelled them on anybody.”

“We have buried more people than we buried last Saturday and nobody has accused anybody. Associating us with something we have no knowledge of is so unfortunate.”

Meanwhile, Frank Mba, the Nigeria Police Force spokesman, said 20 people suspected to have been involved in the Saturday attack had been arrested.