Some gunmen of unknown identity killed five persons in Plateau State in a village called Mbar belonging to the Bokkos LGA.
This was made known by Farmasum Fuddang, Chairman of the Bokkos Cultural Development Council Vanguard.
It added that the attack occurred on Sunday night while several teenagers were in transit within the local government area.
It further stated that the attacks on the boys, who were unarmed, innocent, and on their way from Mbar town to Koh village through the bypass that demarcated the Yelwa Nono village, were carried out by fleeing terrorists on motorcycles, which the military drove from the surrounding mountains.
The attack that left five innocent young men dead in the Mbar hamlet, notwithstanding prior intelligence reports on the presence of suspected terrorists, was condemned by the group.
It also talked about the lingering unprovoked attacks that are seen as premeditated attempts at displacing people from their ancestral homes and taking over the land.
“By the time the security forces were informed about the attack and arrived at the scene several minutes later, the terrorists had completed their mission and fled without apprehension. This incident adds to a series of armed attacks in our villages, including the recent murder of eleven youths in Tarangol, Daffo, and Bargesh villages on September 3rd 2024.
“We request to be involved in handling the threats in our land, working in synergy with security forces as is the case with the civilian joint task force in the northeast and northwest regions.
“This is not to undermine or underrate the efforts of the military. However, we understand the logistics and manpower shortages faced by the military, requiring the active participation of local community members who know the terrain and can better assist with intelligence to identify and expose criminal elements in communities,” the group said.
The management of the Bokkos Local Government Council led by the Director of Personnel Management, Christy Loyi, confirmed the incident and visited the families of affected victims with assurances that security would be reinforced in the local government area.
