Gunmen have once again unleashed violence in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, killing five people in an attack on Rafut village, Kwatas district, on Monday night.
According to The PUNCH, local sources, the attackers ambushed four young men who were guarding their family homes, killing them on the spot. They then stormed a nearby compound, where they shot an elderly man before fleeing the area.
Chairman of the Bokkos Cultural Development Council, Farmasum Fuddang confirmed the killings in a statement issued on Tuesday, which he co-signed with the association’s secretary, Duwam Bosco.
The statement was titled, “Another Tragic Attack Claims Five Lives in Bokkos Despite Advance Warnings.”
“With deep sadness, we report that five of our members have been killed following an attack on October 14. This tragic incident comes after a series of bloody assaults in recent weeks,” the statement read.
The council detailed that in the past week alone, 10 community members had been killed in multiple attacks, including five deaths in Wumat on October 7, four in Kuba on October 10, and one in Maikatako on October 11.
“Despite credible warnings from a reputable media outlet and reports of suspicious activities by Fulani groups, the attackers, believed to be Fulani herdsmen, struck Rafut shortly after 7 PM on October 14,” the statement said.
The council condemned the attack, noting that it happened barely a day after a security meeting with police and military authorities in the area.
The group called for the immediate creation of a civilian joint task force to enhance community defense, citing past instances where community members were detained for defending their homes.
“Our urgent calls for the establishment of a civilian task force have been ignored for too long,” the council emphasized, adding that such a force would facilitate quicker responses to future attacks.
The statement concluded by calling for government action to provide medical assistance for the injured and demanding the arrest of named individuals linked to previous threats in the area.
At the time of filing this report, the Plateau State Police Command had not issued a statement, and the spokesman, Alabo Alfred, was unavailable for comment.
