Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, on Monday, said that at least 50 people were killed by yet-to-be-identified gunmen in several communities in the Mangu and Bokkos local government areas of the state.
The governor disclosed this at a luncheon organised by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, for troops of Operation Safe Haven in Mangu on Monday.
Mutfwang expressed dismay over the spate of attacks and wanton destruction of farmlands and other property by gunmen.
He promised to adopt stringent measures to tackle insecurity in the state.
“From intelligence reports available to me, at least 50 persons have been killed in Mangu and Bokkos in the last 48 hours. This is unacceptable. Enough is enough! These stupid, senseless, and unprovoked acts must stop!
“However, no amount of attacks will break the spirits of Plateau people; we remain resolute and determined to progress as a people”, the governor said.
Mutfwang thanked the troops for their unrelenting efforts in the fight against insecurity in the state and promised to support the military and other security agencies to secure the state.
“That way, we will prevent some hoodlums, who usually hide under the attacks, from perpetrating other crimes, such as cattle rustling, armed robbery, kidnapping for ransom, and other crimes.
“We will also strengthen other security agencies to complement the efforts of the military in tackling insecurity in the state”, the governor said.
In a speech, the Commander of OPSH, Maj. Gen. Abdusalam Abubakar said his troops had responded to the attacks.
Abubakar said, “In the last 48 hours, we have responded to 36 distress calls from different locations simultaneously.
“As we speak, some of our men are in hospital due to the injuries sustained in attacks. But we are committed to ensuring that we put a stop to all criminal activities in Plateau”, he said.
Meanwhile, the head of the local government in Bokkos, Monday Kassah, told AFP that more than a hundred people had been killed in the attacks that started on Saturday.
“As many as 113 persons have been confirmed killed as Saturday hostilities persisted to early hours of Monday,” the “Bandits” launched “well-coordinated” attacks in “not fewer than 20 different communities”, Kassah said.
“We found more than 300 wounded people” who were transferred to hospitals in Bokkos, Jos, and Barkin Ladi”, he said.
The attacks, which started in the Bokkos area, spilled into neighbouring Barkin Ladi where 30 people were found dead, according to local chairman Danjuma Dakil.
Gunfire could still be heard late afternoon Sunday, according to a source from the region.
Amnesty International criticised the government in the wake of the attacks, saying “the Nigerian authorities have been failing to end frequent deadly attacks on rural communities of Plateau state”, in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
