Tragedy as gunmen murder 18 in Plateau community

A total of at least 18 farmers lost their lives after an attack that took place in Kawel village located in Mushere district of Bokkos local government area, Plateau state.

The attack took place at around 11:30 p.m. Sunday and was reported on Monday by Christopher Luka, a youth leader from Bokkos.

He went further to reveal that the attack was sudden and devastating, adding that armed assailants launched attacks on the village and started shooting at the villagers, killing more than 20 people, with 18 confirmed dead.

“A youth leader called around 12 a.m. that gunmen attacked the community and shot over 20 people, so 18 were confirmed dead,” Luka said.

The senator said he immediately got in touch with security operatives deployed in Bokkos, and was told that they had been briefed on the matter and were responding to it.

This recent killing has come just few days after yet another attack in the same local government area, where the District Head of Gwande, Saf Samuel Alaket, was ambushed in Sha District axis close to Daffo community. According to reports, the traditional ruler was coming from a meeting of the council of chiefs when he met the attackers.

Luka decried this latest killings as being unjustified and appealed for immediate action by the security agencies to avert a possible escalation of violence in the area.

Neither the spokesman of the Plateau State Police Command, SP Alabo Alfred, nor representatives of Operation Enduring Peace had issued any statement regarding the killings as at the time of going to press.

These latest killings have fuelled fears about the insecurity in some areas of Plateau State, where there have been continued attacks on rural communities.