A survivor of an attack by suspected Fulani militias in Rantiya community, Jos South LGA of Plateau State, has narrated how he feigned death to escape.The survivor, 37-year-old Isaac Dung, a father of three, told DAILY POST in a telephone chat that he had to pretend to be dead when the gunmen struck the community on Thursday night.The terrorists invaded Rangarasa village in Rantiya, killing two vigilante operatives and injuring about 15 residents.
Recounting his ordeal, Dung said he was returning home from work when he spotted the bandits riding into the community on motorcycles.“I was going home after closing from work when I noticed the Fulani gang riding into our community on several motorcycles,” he recalled.“From a rough estimate, they were more than 100 because the motorcycles were many.
Some carried two, others three. I immediately knew we were in trouble because they were all armed.“Suddenly, they started shooting sporadically. It was like a war movie.
They shot at people while shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’.“Bullets were flying everywhere while residents ran helter-skelter, trying to hide in bushes and behind rocks. I have a bad leg, and I knew I wouldn’t run fast enough before they cut me down.“The bandits were getting close, and I had to think fast. Knowing I couldn’t escape, I dropped to the ground and pretended to be dead. Moments later, some of them got close to where I lay, and I heard one say, ‘arnen ya mutu’ — ‘the infidel is dead’.
Then they mounted their motorcycles and rode off.
“When I was sure they had gone, I crawled into the bush where I hid for over five hours before I managed to find my way home. It was God and my survival instinct that saved me that night,” he said.