No fewer than 38 people—mostly women and children—were cruelly murdered by the marauding gunmen in a midnight assault in the state’s Mangu local government area on Tuesday, as the attackers in Plateau State resumed their attacks after a brief lull.
A 24-hour curfew has been imposed by the Mangu local government to stop the deplorable situation, and Governor Simon Lalong has also ordered security personnel to track down and apprehend the perpetrators.
Many people were killed early last month when gunmen struck Murish village in the Bokkos Local Government Area and Jwak Mai Tumbi in the Mangu Council, along with isolated killings in the state’s north.
According to a source close to one of the Fungzai neighborhoods where the most recent attack occurred, the gunmen broke into the neighborhood at around 1:00 a.m. and went on a shooting rampage to chase the residents out of their homes.
“The gunmen first targeted Kubat, a village adjoining the state’s Bokkos local government district, before coming to our neighborhood. We are close to the village, so when we heard the shooting, we ordered our ladies and kids to get outside so they wouldn’t get stuck in their homes.
“Before we could get our act together, the gunmen who were present in significant numbers opened fire, killing 29 people—mostly women and children—as they fled the neighborhood in a truck.
“As I speak to you, I am standing next to the 29 bodies that have been found; further bodies are still missing. We’re sick of being attacked constantly, and we want the security services to help us,” the person stated.
The Nigerian Tribune has learned that the gunmen assaulted the Fungzai community in Kubat village, where they killed no less than nine people and set buildings on fire.
It was discovered that the village is currently desolate because the majority of the survivors have fled and are now seeking safety in other settlements.
The governor of Plateau State, Simon Bako Lalong, has denounced the midnight attack on Kubat Village in Mangu Local Government, where several people, reportedly including women and children, were killed, and has ordered security personnel to go after the assailants and make sure they are captured.
The Governor referred to this as yet another attempt by crisis merchants and criminals to bring the state back to the dark days of pain and agony in a statement signed by the Director of Press, Dr. Makut Simon Macham, and vowed that the government will stop at nothing to ensure that those behind this scheme are dealt with mercilessly.
The governor denounces the crime, expresses sympathy for the victims, and promises them that the murderers will not escape justice because no matter what their motivations, this atrocity cannot be permitted or justified.
While a comprehensive investigation is being conducted, the Governor has also instructed the State Emergency Management Agency and the Peace Building Agency to visit the region and assess the humanitarian need to provide aid to the victims.
The Mangu Local Government Council’s Hon. Minister Daput has imposed a 24-hour curfew throughout the council as a result of the sad incident.
The Chairman urged on the residents of the region to maintain calm as security agents have been mobilized to all the affected communities and issued a directive to security agencies to guarantee complete compliance with the curfew.
Therefore, he expressed sympathy to the impacted families and gave them the assurance that the council will work closely with the security services to bring those responsible for the heinous act to justice.
However, attempts to contact DSP Alfred Alabo, the spokesman for the Plateau State Command, were unsuccessful since he was unreachable on his phone.
