- The assailants, suspected to be armed herders, reportedly burnt down several houses, including that of a traditional ruler
A fresh wave of attacks across villages in the Mangu local government area of Plateau State has claimed fifteen lives.
The attacks were carried out in Manden, Join, Jiblang, Koppang, Mihdihin, and Jilem, all in the Chakfem district of the local government.
The assailants, suspected to be armed herders, reportedly burnt down several houses, including that of a traditional ruler and rusted many animals belonging to the residents of the villages.
They stormed the villages on Monday evening between 7:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. after the villagers have retired to their homes for the night.
Many locals were also said to have sustained varying degrees of injuries when they were attacked by the gunmen, making over
“The injured people are currently receiving treatment at COCIN Hospital- Mwar-Chakfem,” a source familiar with incident told newsmen.
Over 3,000 people have also fled their homes for safety.
The National President of Mwaghavul Development Association (MDA), Mr. Bulus Dabit, while confirmed the incident to journalists on Thursday.
He disclosed that words about the attack did not get out on time due to the difficulty in reaching the affected areas, saying that the victims included women and children.
Dabit also pointed out that those who could run were able to escape from the attackers, while those who could not were killed.
Dabit explained that security agencies were not able to reach the attacked communities because they were hard to reach.
He said, “After the attack, we were not able to get to the villages because of the nature of the terrain.”
He explained that it was on Tuesday that security personnel were able to reach the communities, saying that by the time the security personnel arrived, it was too late due to the difficult terrain of the area.
He stated that Chakfem district shares boundaries with Quanpan LGA and parts of Nasarawa State, providing the attackers with different entry points into the communities, saying that they (attackers) were able to carry out their heinous act without any obstacle.
The National President called on the federal government to prevent what he described as incessant attacks and killings of their members by deploying more security personnel to the affected communities for their safety.
According to him, unless the federal government does something urgently to protect the helpless communities, they will suffer total annihilation, lamenting that the attacks are not normal, as its frequencies speak volumes of the intention of the attackers who have deliberately avoided any public discourse on their intention
Discussion about this post