AT LEAST eight people have been confirmed dead and four others injured after armed men attacked Vole community in Kwatas district of Bokkos Local Government Area, Plateau State, late Thursday evening.
The Chairman of the Community Peace Observers in Bokkos LGA, Kefas Mallai, confirmed the incident in a statement according to Punch.
Sources said many of the victims were from the same family.
The deceased were identified as Iliya Mangut Dakus, Luck Titus Dakus, Habila Istifanu Dakus, Hassan Istifanus Dakus, Hassan Moses Dakus, Biggie Lucky Dakus, Sunday Gideon Dakus, and Innocent Barnabas Makwin.
The Chairman of the Plateau Youth Council (PYC) in Bokkos, Dakol James, also confirmed the attack, describing frustration over what he called a lack of immediate security response.
“The entire Bokkos youth population is deeply disappointed with the security situation. As of this morning, no security personnel have been deployed to assess the situation. It has been about 12 hours, and we have not seen any security presence,” he said.
Local sources said the attackers stormed the area between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., opened fire on residents and caused panic across the community.
A youth leader, Christopher Luka, said he first heard gunshots at about 8:00 p.m. but could not immediately determine where they were coming from. He said the attack was unexpected, adding that the area had been relatively calm before the incident.
“There had been no recent incidents of violence, so this attack came as a shock. We strongly condemn both the attack and the absence of security personnel,” he stated.
He added that youth groups in the area had been trying to prevent tensions from escalating while waiting for authorities to respond.
The Chairman of the Gan Allah Fulani Development Association in Bokkos, Saleh Adamu, also condemned the killings, saying the incident was disturbing given recent relative calm in the area. He called on security agencies to identify those responsible and ensure they are prosecuted.
The attack comes a day after separate incidents in nearby communities, including a mining site in Kok village and Chenye village, where two people were killed in similar violence across Barkin Ladi and Riyom local government areas.
It also followed repeated attacks in the state since late March this year. The Plateau State Government had imposed a 48-hour curfew in Jos North Local Government Area following a deadly attack on March 29 in Gari Ya Waye community, Angwan Rukuba by gunmen.
The incident immediately led to a retaliatory attack by mobs who reportedly killed dozens of people. The state has since been thrown into panic as more attacks had occurred in parts of the state, especially in Jos North.
On Thursday, April 9, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos, revealed that two students of his university died in the attacks.