Gunmen kill family of eight in Plateau community – Tribune Online

A family of eight was killed on Thursday by gunmen in the Mbwelle community of the Bokkos local government area of Plateau State, leaving others injured.

Tribune Online learnt that at around 11:00 pm, a large group of gunmen entered the neighborhood on motorbikes, firing in several directions, and were able to kill eight members of the same family and injure those trying to flee for their lives.

A member of the community, Hosea Madaki, who escaped the horrifying attack, stated that some members of the community are still missing while the entire community has been deserted, adding that security men were not visible throughout the attack.

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The chairman of the Community Peace Observers in the Bokkos Local Government Area, Kefas Mallai, who confirmed the incident, said the unfortunate incident has created tension in the neighboring communities within the local government area.

He said, “The community is very close to Bokkos town. The attack lasted for several hours with no visible security presence to repel the attackers. At the moment there’s tension everywhere within the local government.

“The locals are angry over the failure of security operatives to protect them and are planning to protest.

“They are alleging that security forces did not respond despite the proximity of the area, and that personnel are currently deployed to protect a specific community suspected by natives of Bokkos to be the origin of the attackers.”

Also, Christopher Luka, Youth Leader of Bokkos, confirmed the incident, describing it as “a sad and devastating assault on the people of Bokkos and Plateau State as a whole.

“The gunmen came around 11pm and started shooting sporadically. They targeted one family mostly. We have eight confirmed dead, some seriously injured, and others still unaccounted for,” Luka said.

Those confirmed dead include Elder Iliya Mangut Dakus, Mr. Luck Titus Dakus, Mr. Habila Istifanu Dakus, Mr. Hassan Istifanus Dakus, Mrs. Hassan Moses Dakus, Biggie Lucky Dakus, Sunday Gideon Dakus, and Mr. Innocent Barnabas Makwin.

Efforts to get the reaction of the Plateau State Police Command spokesman, DSP Alfred Alabo, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report