NO fewer than 14 people, including women and children, have been killed in a fresh attack in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.
According to Daily Trust, the victims, who were inside a bus, were ambushed by gunmen along Chirang Road in Mangor District on the evening of Thursday, July 24, while returning from the weekly market in Bokkos town.
Efforts to reach the state police command proved abortive, as the command’s spokesperson, Alabo Alfred, was unreachable, and a text message sent to his line had yet to be responded to.
Meanwhile, the Bokkos Cultural Development Forum (BCDF), in a statement by its chairman, Farmasum Fuddang, condemned the killing and expressed frustration over continued violence despite ongoing peace efforts.
“The victims were returning from the weekly market in Bokkos town when their vehicle was ambushed. Victims included women and little babies. This violence occurs despite various so-called peace and reconciliation efforts, “ the chairman said.
Fuddang accused herders of the killings and claimed they attacked his people as part of plans to take over land in the area.
However, the Gan Allah Fulani Development Association (GAFDAN), representing the herding community in Bokkos, has reportedly distanced itself from any involvement in the attack.
The chairman of the association, Saleh Adamu, said, “The allegation has no basis because there is no evidence that the attack was carried out by the Fulani. And no herder was arrested at the scene to prove it was carried out by the Fulani. This allegation is the first of its kind here.
“When an incident occurs, security forces do investigate before identifying the perpetrators. We condemn the attack in its totality, as the killing of innocent people is not in any way justified by any offence. We condemn the killings,” Daily Trust reported him to have said.
The ICIR reports that the attack is part of a recurring pattern of violence in Plateau State.
In a related development, TVC News on Friday reported that the remains of 27 victims from last Tuesday’s assault on Riyom community had been moved from the hospital morgue to the village for a mass burial.
The victims, mostly farmers, were killed in an attack by gunmen in Bindi-Jebbu of the Tahoss community in Riyom local government area on Tuesday, July 15.
According to reports, the attack also left many people injured, with several rushed to hospitals, including the Jos University Teaching Hospital and Plateau Hospital.
A similar ambush in June
The latest attacks follow another deadly ambush just a month ago in Mangu Local Government Area, where a group of wedding travellers from Kaduna State was attacked by a suspected mob in Mangun community.
The attack, carried out by a suspected mob in the Mangun community, Mangu Local Government Area (LGA), led to the death of 13 travellers while many others were injured.
The victims were on their way to the Kwa community in the Qua’an Pan LGA of the state.
At least 32 victims, including children, were descended upon while heading for the wedding venue from the Basawa community in Kaduna’s Sabon Gari LGA.
The incident sparked widespread outrage across the country, with many demanding justice for the victims.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M