No fewer than 40 persons were yesterday killed by gunmen in four villages of Plateau State. But the Special Task Force, STF, in charge of security in the state confirmed that 37 persons died and five others were seriously injured during the multiple attacks in Barkin Ladi and Mangu Local Government Areas.
The injured are receiving treatment at various hospitals in the local governments. The villages affected are Tatu, Rawuru, Bok and Dorang.
One of the survivors, Jok Cholonm of Rawuru village told our correspondent that the gunmen stormed the house of his relative at about 12:30a.m. and killed him and his seven children. He lamented that security operatives in the area did not come to their aid during the attack. The village head of Tatu, Pam Gyang Tsok, who spoke to journalists, said the attack took place about 1a.m. on Tuesday.
He said: “At about 1a.m. yesterday, I started hearing gunshots, I then rushed out of my home to the direction of the gunshots and saw the corpses of our kinsmen murdered in cold blood by our attackers. “Our village was under siege for more than 30 minutes,” he said.
Pam Yakubu, who lost six relatives, also told our correspondent that the gunmen attacked the village at about 12:30a.m. and started shooting sporadically. He gave the names of some of the deceased as Davou, Yop, Sarah, Felix, Timothy.
“Our attackers must be professional killers as they were speaking good English,” Yakubu said. He appealed to security operatives to tighten security around the local government council. National Mirror also gathered that the victims were given mass burial.
Speaking to journalists at the burial of the victims, the outgoing President of Church of Christ In Nations, COCIN, Rev. Soja Bewarang, described the attacks as a calculated attempt to wipe out the people of the state.
He lamented that despite the presence of security operatives in the area, gunmen could still create such havoc on the people. Bewarang called on the state government and the STF operatives deployed to restore law and order to strength security in the local government.
The Chairman, Management Committee, Barkin Ladi Local Government, Habila Dung, described the attacks as barbaric and unfortunate, stressing that the attacks in the four villages occurred at the same time. “I got a call at about 12a.m. yesterday and immediately notified security operatives, who swung into action but the affected villages were difficult to access”, he said.
A statement by the STF Media Officer, Capt. Salisu Mustapha, in Jos said that the coordinated attacks were carried out about 2a.m. “The attackers killed about 13 persons in Katu Kapang, eight in Daron, nine in Tul and seven others in Rawuru.
About five others were also reported to have sustained injuries. “On receiving the report, STF personnel swiftly moved to the scenes to bring the situation under control but the gunmen fled on sighting the troops.
“STF Commander, Maj.-Gen. David Enetie, has visited the villages to assess the situation and he has vowed that no stone would be left unturned to fish out the perpetrators of this dastardly act,’’ he said.
Mustapha called on the people of the state to desist from violence, urging them to remain law-abiding and go about their lawful businesses. He urged them to cooperate with the security agencies and jealously guard the relative peace being enjoyed in the state.
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