At least 19 people, mostly women and children, were killed in coordinated gunmen attacks on Plateau communities in Bokkos and Mangu LGAs on Thursday night
Nineteen people, including women and children, have been killed in renewed attacks by gunmen on two communities in Plateau State, marking yet another bloody chapter in Nigeria’s deepening security crisis.
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The attacks, which occurred on Thursday night, targeted Jwan village in Tangur district of Bokkos Local Government Area and Chakfem in neighbouring Mangu Local Government Area.
Eyewitnesses described coordinated invasions by heavily armed assailants who opened fire indiscriminately.
Chairman of the Community Peace Observers in Bokkos, Kefas Mallai, confirmed the assault on Jwan, saying 13 residents, mostly women and children, were killed in their homes. The attack, he said, began around 8 p.m. and caught the villagers unprepared.
“The people were just in their homes when suddenly, they saw some persons carrying guns and suddenly started shooting at them.
The men in the village came out but they couldn’t defend themselves. Some had to hide. The women and children, who were more vulnerable, were hit by bullets,” Mallai said.
He added that the gunmen fled before security agents could arrive, leaving the community in mourning. The Bokkos Local Government Chairman, Amalau Amalau, corroborated the account, stating that the injured were taken to various hospitals including the Jos University Teaching Hospital and a local cottage facility.
“Yes, it’s true. They came and attacked our people last night. They killed several people, and others are currently receiving treatment,” he said.
In a separate but equally grim incident, six people were killed in Chakfem village, Mangu LGA, in an attack described by the Vice Chairman of Mwaghavul Youths Development Association, Panam Madugu, as “unfortunate and brutal.”
“The herders just attacked the community last night and killed six persons. It is rather unfortunate. They just came around 8 p.m., and after killing the people, they left. We have reported the incident to the security agents,” Madugu said.
Efforts to reach the Plateau State Police Public Relations Officer, Alabo Alfred, were unsuccessful as his phone was switched off.
However, the Executive Secretary of the Plateau State Emergency Management Agency, Sunday Abdu, confirmed that a team had been dispatched to Bokkos to assess the situation.
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“I don’t have information about the incident but members of my team went to Bokkos today. I’m sure they will get details and report back,” he said.
