Four people including a 10 year old boy have been killed and 10 others missing on Wednesday night at Kai village, Barkin Ladi local government area of Plateau State during attack by armed men.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, Mathias Tyopev confirmed the attack on Thursday.
The houses of the deceased were said to have been invaded by the attackers whom relatives suspected to be Fulani herders They also said that sporadic gunshots were heard in the neighbourhood.
According to a resident Chuwang Moses, other residents ran into a nearby bush during the attack. Some of those who escaped were yet to be seen as at Thursday afternoon.
A Maren Mahan of Kai village reported at the Barkin Ladi Police Division that yesterday (Wednesday) at about 8pm, unknown gunmen suspected to be Fulani Herdsmen invaded the house of his elder brother one Dauda Mahan of the same address.
“The invaders shot and killed the followings persons ; Dauda Mahan, 54yrs, Mangai Agwom, 46yrs, Christian Mangai, 15yrs and John Mangai, 10yrs. On receipt of this information, a team of detectives led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Barkin Ladi Division visited the scene of crime for an on the spot assessment.
“The bodies were recovered to the General Hospital Barkin Ladi where they were confirmed dead by the doctor on duty and the corpses deposited in the hospital’s mortuary. Investigation is ongoing to track and arrest the perpetrators to face the consequences of their actions.”
Meanwhile, the State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr. Yakubu Dati in a statement said, “The Plateau State Government hereby commiserates with citizens of the state over the recent attacks. The Rescue administration holds every single live as sacred hence cannot play politics with the lives of the very people who voted it into power.
“While government is saddened by these attacks, we wish to reiterate that the government is not resting on its oars to find lasting solutions to these attacks. As a government, will never leave the citizens at the mercy of these attackers no matter the situation because it is our constitutional duty to ensure the safety of lives and well-being of the people. ”
It is however, disheartening that while government is working round the clock to ensure adequate security of lives of the people, some people are bent on scoring very cheap political points and sowing seeds of discord among the peace-loving people by attributing the current security challenges especially the recent attacks to what they feel as action or inaction of the government. Any attempt to portray this government in bad light remains an exercise in futility.
“As a government we are committed to ensuring a safe and secured environment that will guarantee peaceful coexistence among the various groups in the state as we remained resolute to the well-being of our people.”
