NO fewer than 18 farmers have been killed and several others injured following a deadly attack on Kawel village in Mushere District of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The latest assault has heightened concerns over the recurring violence in parts of Plateau State, particularly in Bokkos LGA, which has witnessed a series of deadly attacks in recent times.
News Point Nigeria reports that the incident occurred less than five days after the District Head of Gwande in the same local government area, Saf Samuel Alaket, was killed in an ambush.
Christopher Luka, the Bokkos Youth Leader, confirmed the attack to journalists on Monday, stating that the gunmen struck the community at about 11:30 p.m. on Sunday.
According to reports, the attack came shortly after the killing of the district head, who was ambushed along the Sha District axis bordering Daffo community.
The deceased traditional ruler was said to have been returning home after attending a traditional council meeting when he ran into the ambush and was killed.
Narrating the latest attack, Luka said he received information about the incident from a colleague and member of the youth council while the assault was ongoing.
“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.
He explained that immediately he received the distress call, he alerted security personnel stationed in Bokkos to the situation.
“I called the security and they confirmed to me that they had been alerted and were on their way to the attacked community,” he added.
Luka described the attack as unprovoked and expressed concern over the continued loss of lives in the area.
He called on security agencies to take decisive action to halt the violence and prevent the situation from deteriorating further.
The youth leader urged authorities to intensify efforts to protect vulnerable communities and bring those responsible for the killings to justice.
As of the time of filing this report, no security agency had officially commented on the attack.
Efforts to obtain reactions from security authorities were unsuccessful, as both the spokesperson of the Plateau State Police Command, SP Alabo Alfred, and the spokesperson of Operation Enduring Peace, Captain Polycarp Auta, had not responded to inquiries from journalists.