Olayiwola Matthew
A tragic late-night attack has claimed the lives of eight members of a single family in Mbwelle community, located in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The assault, which occurred around 11:00 p.m. on Thursday, saw a large group of armed men storm the area on motorcycles, shooting indiscriminately and leaving several others injured as residents scrambled to escape.
Those killed in the attack have been identified as Elder Iliya Mangut Dakus, Mr. Luck Titus Dakus, Mr. Habila Istifanu Dakus, Mr. Hassan Istifanus Dakus, Mrs. Hassan Moses Dakus, Biggie Lucky Dakus, Sunday Gideon Dakus, and Mr. Innocent Barnabas Makwin.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of the Community Peace Observers in Bokkos LGA, Kefas Mallai, described the development as deeply troubling, warning that it has heightened tensions across nearby communities.
“The community is very close to Bokkos town. The attack lasted for several hours with no visible security presence to repel the attackers. At the moment, there’s tension everywhere within the local government,” Mallai told newsmen.
He further disclosed growing anger among residents over what they described as a failure by security operatives to respond promptly.
“The locals are angry over the failure of security operatives to protect them and are planning to protest. They allege that security forces did not respond despite the proximity of the area and claim personnel are currently deployed to protect a specific community suspected to be the origin of the attackers,” he added.
Also speaking, the Youth Leader of Bokkos, Christopher Luka, condemned the attack, calling it a devastating blow to the people of the area and Plateau State at large.
“The gunmen came around 11 p.m. and started shooting sporadically. They targeted one family mostly. We have eight confirmed dead, some seriously injured, and others still unaccounted for,” Luka said.
As of the time of filing this report, efforts to obtain an official response from the spokesperson of the Plateau State Police Command, DSP Alfred Alabo, were unsuccessful.
