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Tag: Plateau gunmen

  • Gunmen kill 20, burn houses in fresh attack on Plateau community

    Gunmen kill 20, burn houses in fresh attack on Plateau community

    No fewer than 20 people have reportedly been killed and several houses razed in a brutal attack by gunmen on Jebu, a community in the Ta-Hoss district of Riyom Local Government Area, Plateau State.

    According to residents, the assailants stormed the area around 11 p.m. on Monday and opened fire indiscriminately, forcing villagers to flee for safety.

    Some of the injured victims are currently receiving treatment in various hospitals across the state.

    The Coalition for the Protection of Democracy (COPDEM) confirmed the incident in a statement signed by its Chairman, Gideon Manjal, and Publicity Secretary, Gadu Daniel Dong.

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    The group said the attackers went from house to house, killing women, children, and the elderly who were unable to escape.

    COPDEM condemned the recurring violence in Plateau communities and urged security agencies to immediately track down and prosecute the perpetrators.

    They also called on President Bola Tinubu and the National Security Council to initiate a full-scale military operation to dismantle terrorist hideouts in the region.

    “Our people are being buried daily. We are tired of condolence visits and silence. We are tired of press statements that do not translate to protection,” the group said.

    They insisted that Ta-Hoss and other hard-hit communities like Jol, Rim, Bachi, Wereng, and Nding deserve more than sympathy—they deserve security, dignity, and justice.

    As of the time of filing this report, efforts to get an official response from security operatives were unsuccessful.

  • Gunmen kill Police inspector, seize rifle in Plateau

    Gunmen kill Police inspector, seize rifle in Plateau

    Gunmen suspected to be herders have killed a police inspector, Yakubu Dauda, and seized his rifle in the Chwelnyap Rim community of Riyom Local Government Area, Plateau State.

    Confirming the incident to journalists in Riyom during a visit by the fact-finding committee set up by Governor Caleb Mutfwang to investigate the causes of violence plaguing the state, David Tsado, the DPO of Riyom LGA, said the incident occurred on Monday while officers were on an operation in the area.

    DPO Tsado narrated that the gunmen, who arrived in large numbers, ambushed the officers, resulting in the death of one officer during the operation.

    He explained that the gunmen terrorizing the area were well-armed, adding that despite mobilizing their men after the attack, they were unable to overcome the gunmen’s resistance because they were well armed.

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    “Yesterday, my men were on ground in the community following a report of security threats in the area not knowing that some gunmen laid an ambush.

    “In the process of tracing the gunmen, they opened fire on our men and one of us, inspector Yakubu Dauda, unfortunately lost his life. His copse has been deposited in the hospital.

    “Today, the commissioner of police deployed more men to take the fight to their den, but it was another heavy encounter. It got to a stage that we have to retrieve,“ the DPO said.

    The chairman of the fact finding committee, Major General Nicholas Rogers, while speaking on the committee’s visit to the area, said they were at the LG to find out what went wrong resulting to the incessant killing and attacks in the area, adding that “it is a very bad situation. We are here to identify the problems and gathered suggestions from stakeholders on who to would relevant find lasting solutions.

    Youth and community leaders informed the committee that many villages were attacked, adding that in the last one month, about 9 persons were killed and 33 houses burnt, hoping that the establishment of the community would bring an end of the attacks.

  • Gunmen kill 37 cows in Plateau community

    Gunmen kill 37 cows in Plateau community

    Gunmen have killed 37 cows at Tashek in Riyom Local Government of Plateau State.

    The incident happened on Sunday.

    The state Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) Secretary, Ibrahim Yusuf Babayo said: “Gunmen stormed the area and started shooting at grazing cattle, leading to the death of 37 cattle and injury of the herders. Immediately after the attack, I called on the sector commander of Operation Safe Haven in Riyom to inform him about the incident and he subsequently deployed troops to the scene to assess the situation.

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    ”This latest attack comes barely a week after a similar incident in Tanjol community, also in Riyom Local Government Area, where gunmen opened fire on herders, injuring two individuals and killing five cattle.’’

    He said the attack was unprovoked.

    The secretary also said he had informed heads of security agencies, including the commander OPSH and GOC 3 division, commissioner of police and State Director Security (SDS), about the incident.

    He added: “They all acknowledged the report and asked to not take law into our hands as efforts are being made to arrest the perpetrators.”

  • Gunmen kill three in Plateau

    Gunmen kill three in Plateau

    Gunmen have killed three persons  returning home from an outing on Sunday at Dundun village in Kwall District of Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State. 

    A source said the gunmen ambushed the three men on motorcycles close to their village, shot them at close range and made sure they were dead before fleeing the area around 9:24 pm. 

    It was gathered that their remains were later found by a bystander who raised the alarm, drawing the neighbourhood attention to the scene of the incident. 

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    The National Publicity Secretary, Irigwe Youth Movement, Joseph Chudu Yonkpa, who confirmed the incident in a statement, identified the deceased as John Avia, 48; Sunday Vickson, 32 and Peter Vickson, 30.

    According to the movement, the district had experienced numerous ambushes of its people in the last fortnight and the massive destruction of dry-season farm crops, adding that the incidents were one too many and the series of attacks reaffirmed the militias resolve against peaceful coexistence, peace and tranquillity in Irigwe land.

    Efforts to reach Plateau Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Alfred Alabo, were unsuccessful as of press time.