No fewer than 30 persons were killed in Plateau State in the early hours of Wednesday by gunmen who attacked Kwahaslalek village, Mangu Local Government Area of the state.
It was gathered that the victims, who were mostly women and children, had run to the house of a community leader in the area on Tuesday night for safety following an earlier unrest during the day in Mangu town when the gunmen surrounded them and killed all of them
A community leader in the area, Mark Haruna, confirmed the death toll to PUNCH Online in Jos, the state capital, on Wednesday.
Haruna said, “What happened at Sabon Gari and Mangu town yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) was just a distraction so that the attention of the people will be shifted away from the villages.
“For the second time, my village Kwahaslalek (behind NYSC camp) came under attack by gunmen yesterday (Tuesday)night. They came at about 12:30 am and killed over 25 people, mostly women and children.”
The Chairman of Mwaghavul Development Association, Joseph Gwankat, also confirmed the killing, describing it as callous.
“I couldn’t sleep last night as a result of what happened in Mangu town during the day yesterday. Now, I have just been told Kwahaslalek village was attacked last night and about 30 people were killed .
“From what I was told, the unrest in Mangu town yesterday created fears in many communities. Some people in the village went and evacuated their loved ones and assembled them in a place where they thought was safe.
“So in the night, the killers went to Kwahaslalek village where the people mostly women and children were assembled and killed all of them,” he said
The chairman who condemned the killing added, “I was told that no security was on ground to save the villagers. This act is pure wickedness. How can people who are in their villages be targets of constant attacks and killings without anything being done to stop the perpetrators?”
The spokesman for the state police command, Alabo Alfred, said he had yet to get the report of the incident when contacted.
“I have not received any report on that. Let me call my Commander. We will investigate the incident if actually something like that happened,” the PPRO said.
The Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, declared a 24-hour curfew on the Mangu LGA on Tuesday (yesterday).
He said the decision followed the deteriorating security situation in the area after an unrest left several houses, including churches and mosques, burnt down.
The state is yet to recover from the Christmas Eve attacks on communities in three local government areas of the state.
Gunmen had stormed Ndun, Ngyong, Murfet, Makundary, Tamiso, Chiang, Tahore, Gawarba, Dares, Meyenga, Darwat, and Butura Kampani villages in the Barkin Ladi, Mangu and Bokkos areas of the state, burning houses and shooting residents.
Over 150 people were reportedly killed in the attack.