A village in Plateau State was attacked by gunmen on Tuesday night, leaving 30 people dead, mostly women and children.
Recall that Parallel Facts reported that Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, declared a 24-hour curfew in Mangu Local Government Area after terrorists invaded the community.
The attack occurred in Kwahaslalek village, Mangu Local Government Area, where the residents had sought refuge in the house of a community leader after an earlier unrest in Mangu town.
Mark Haruna, a community leader in the area, told PUNCH Online that the attack was a deliberate diversion from the violence that erupted in Mangu town on Tuesday afternoon.
He said, “What happened at Sabon Gari and Mangu town yesterday afternoon was just a distraction so that the attention of the people will be shifted away from the villages. For the second time, my village Kwahaslalek (behind NYSC camp) came under attack by gunmen yesterday night. They came at about 12:30 am and killed over 25 people, mostly women and children.”
Joseph Gwankat, the Chairman of Mwaghavul Development Association, also confirmed the killing and condemned it as callous.
He said, “I couldn’t sleep last night as a result of what happened in Mangu town during the day yesterday.
“Now, I have just been told Kwahaslalek village was attacked last night and about 30 people were killed. From what I was told, the unrest in Mangu town yesterday created fears in many communities.
READ ALSO: Plateau Gov Imposes 24 Hour Curfew After Terrorists Invade Mangu Town
“Some people in the village went and evacuated their loved ones and assembled them in a place where they thought was safe.
“So in the night, the killers went to Kwahaslalek village where the people mostly women and children were assembled and killed all of them.
“I was told that no security was on ground to save the villagers. This act is pure wickedness. How can people who are in their villages be targets of constant attacks and killings without anything being done to stop the perpetrators?”
The state police command said it was yet to receive the report of the incident and promised to investigate it. The spokesman for the command, Alabo Alfred, said, “I have not received any report on that. Let me call my Commander. We will investigate the incident if actually something like that happened.”
The Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, imposed a 24-hour curfew on the Mangu LGA on Tuesday, following the deteriorating security situation in the area. Several houses, including churches and mosques, were burnt down during the unrest in Mangu town.
The state is still reeling from the Christmas Eve attacks on communities in three local government areas of the state, where gunmen burnt houses and shot residents. Over 150 people were reportedly killed in the attack.