Gunmen have killed six persons and rustled over 100 cows in a simultaneous dawn raid on several villages in Barkin-Ladi Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau State.
The Nation gathered that the attackers also set several houses ablaze during the attack which occurred at about 5:30am on Sunday.
It was learnt that the bandits launched their raid from the Rock of Ropp, which they had earlier occupied.
No fewer than five villages – Kai, Rapyam, and Nding Sesut, and Lohalla of Fan District – were attacked.
A resident of Fan, Mr. Gabriel Musa told The Nation that the casualty figure would have been higher but for the prompt counterattack by hunters and vigilance members who confronted the invaders.
He suggested that there was foreknowledge of the attack.
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Musa added: “To our utter dismay, there were no proactive measures taken to avert the obviously pending aggression. Four of our villages were attacked and houses torched before security agents came in.
“Over 100 of our cows were rustled,” he added, claiming that partisan security agents refused to stop the rustlers, and prevented them from going after and recovering the cattle from the bandits.
The Nation gathered that a similar attack on neighbouring Mangu LGA was repelled on Sunday by hunters and youths
The situation forced the Management Transition Chairman of the Council, Hon. Markus Artu, to declare a 24-hour curfew. Efforts to reach the spokesman of the Plateau Police Command, Mr. Alfred Alabo were not successful.