Gunmen kill 38, burn several houses in Plateau

As gunmen renewed their attacks in Plateau State after a short break, no fewer than 38 people, mostly women and children, were brutally killed by the rampaging gunmen in a midnight raid in Mangu local government area of the state on Tuesday.

Even as the authorities of Mangu local government have declared a 24-hour curfew to arrest the pathetic situation while Governor Simon Lalong has equally directed security forces to pursue the attackers and ensure they are arrested.

It would be recalled that early last month, gunmen swooped on Murish village in Bokkos Local Government Area and Jwak Mai Tumbi in Mangu Council, where scores of people were killed, coupled with pockets of killings in the northern part of the state.

A source close to one of the communities in Fungzai where the latest attack took place said the gunmen invaded the community at about 1:00 a.m. and went on a shooting spree to smoke the inhabitants out of their respective houses.

“Before the gunmen attacked our community, they had earlier attacked Kubat, a village bordering the Bokkos local government area of the state.  The village is close to us, and when we heard of the gunshot, we told our women and children to come out to avoid being trapped in their houses.

“Before we could put our act together, the gunmen who were in large numbers struck, shooting at random, and in the process killed twenty-nine people, mostly women and children, who were escaping in a truck from the community.

“As I am talking to you, I am beside the 29 corpses that have been recovered, and there are others still missing. We are tired of this incessant attack; we want the security agencies to come to our aid,” said the source.

The Nigerian Tribune further gathered that in Kubat village, through which the gunmen attacked the Fungzai community, no fewer than nine people were also killed and houses burned by the attackers.

It was learned that the village at the moment is deserted, as most of the survivors have taken to their heels and are now taking refuge in neighboring communities.

Meanwhile, Plateau State Governor Simon Bako Lalong has condemned the overnight attack on Kubat Village in Mangu Local Government, where some people, including women and children, were reportedly killed, and directed security forces to pursue the attackers and ensure they are arrested.

The Governor, in a statement signed by the Director of Press, Dr. Makut Simon Macham
described this as yet another attempt by crisis merchants and criminals to return the state to the dark days of pain and agony, vowing that the government will stop at nothing to ensure that those behind this scheme are dealt with mercilessly.

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While condemning the act, the governor commiserates with the victims and assures them that the murderers will not be allowed to go unpunished, as this is an act that can neither be tolerated nor excused, no matter the motivation.

The Governor has equally directed the State Emergency Management Agency and the Peace Building Agency to visit the area and ascertain the humanitarian need to bring succor to the affected while a thorough investigation is being carried out.