20 killed, 10 injured in fresh Plateau dawn attack
By Emma Ogbuehi
The cycle of bloodletting in some communities in Plateau state, seems to be on the rise, rather than ebbing.
In the latest orgy of violence, twenty persons were reportedly killed with over 10 others injured by assailants in Heipang District of Barkin-Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State in North Central Nigeria.
Channels TV reports that residents of the community narrated that the attackers came in the early hours of Thursday and invaded the community while they were sleeping. The efforts of vigilantes in the community were not enough to ward off the attackers who had superior firepower against the vigilantes’ Dane guns.
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The duel with the attackers resulted in the death of four of the vigilantes as the attackers set some houses on fire, burning residents who were asleep and could not escape from the sudden attack.
According to John Mark Pam, who lost five relatives comprising his brother Dung Mark, the wife and three children, the attackers invaded the compound, set the building ablaze and killed all members of the family in their sleep.
Public Relations Officer of the Plateau State Police Command, DSP Alfred Alabo, confirmed the incident, stating that security has be reinforced in the community with personnel on the trail of the attackers.
Plateau has recorded many incidences of community attacks, lately. Three months ago, about 130 persons were initially killed, 1,000 buildings burnt and 22 villages sacked in the disturbances in Mangu and Riyom Local Government Areas of the State.
According to the State’s chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the killings, which started in Mangu villages on Monday, May 15, 2023, by so-called unknown gunmen, had claimed many lives and property with many persons declared missing. The villages affected included Fungzai, Hale, Kubwat, Bwoi and many other communities of the Kombun District of Mangu Local Government Area and some communities in the Riyom Local Government Area.