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Gunmen have again attacked Tilengpat Pushit community in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State and killed twelve persons.
It was learnt that the attacks leading to the deaths of the victims occurred in the early hours of Friday.
The gunmen had last week killed no fewer than ten persons in Mandung-Mushu and Kopnanle villages, in the Bokkos and Mangu local government areas of the state and also left several persons injured, with property, including homes of the villagers, set ablaze.
The Chairman of Mangu Local Government Area, Markus Argue, confirmed the latest killings to Saturday PUNCH in Jos on Friday.
He said “Yes, it is true that our people have just been attacked again and killed for no reason. It happened last night. As I talk to you, I’m at the affected community in Pushit.
“I cannot give you the figure of victims for now because we are still assessing the situation but what we don’t understand is why some people will just target women and children in their homes and just killed them for no reason.
A community leader in Pushit, who gave his name simply as John, however, said that, “So far, we have recovered twelve dead bodies of individuals who were brutally murdered in during the attack in Pushit community and their bodies recovered.
“The identities of the victims have not yet been disclosed, pending notification of their families. The law enforcement agencies are also here and have initiated investigations into the matter to ascertain the motive behind these heinous crimes and to apprehend the perpetrators responsible for this reprehensible act.”
The Spokesman for the Plateau state Police Command, Alabo Alfred, “The Commissioner of Police also addressed the people in the community personally over the killing of 11 persons in Mangu, while in Bokkos, three persons were injured and two others killed.
“The Commissioner of Police wants the good people of Plateau State to know that all hands are on deck to make sure that the menace is nipped in the bud.”
Meanwhile, women in Bokkos Local Government Area have taken to the streets in protests over the renewed violent attacks by gunmen in their communities.
Similarly, the Plateau State University situated in Bokkos Local Government Area of the state has been shutdown.
The closure of the University followed an attack by gunmen on Friday in Chikam community, close to the University where a 200 level student of the institution was killed.
The Registrar of the University, Yakubu Ayuba, announced the closure of the institution in a statement on Friday.
He said the closure, which took effect on Friday and would last for 10 days, was informed by the psychological effects of the unfortunate incidents on the students and staff of the University.
According to him, the decision is to improve the security situation in the school and lessen the human risk on the University community.
He said the school’s ongoing first-semester examinations had been suspended and would resume on Thursday, 2nd May, 2024
Meanwhile, the state Governor and Visitor to the University, Caleb Mutfwang, has condemned the renewed attacks in the state, calling for enhanced security to safeguard the lives of the people in the affected areas.
