Scores of lives were brutally put to an end by bandits who attacked some communities in Bokkos and Barkin Ladi local government areas of Plateau State.
The death toll from the killers’ attacks, which was carried out on Saturday night while residents of the community were asleep, has risen to 76.
It was learnt that yet to be identified gunmen came into the communities and started shooting sporadically.
A clergyman and five members of the same family were among the 11 people killed in Bokkos LGA.
Earlier, the spokesman of the Plateau State Police Command, DSP Alfred Alabo, when contacted, said, “We are aware of incidents last night in some communities of Barkin Ladi and Bokkos LGAs.
“At the moment I cannot give you the casualty figure, because the DPOs in charge of those areas are working on it and will feed me with the necessary details when they are done, and I will get it across to journalists as soon as it is made available to me.
“At the moment the situation is calm. The Commander in charge of Pankshin and Bokkos is already there and the Commissioner of Police, Julius Alawari, has sent the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations there.
“I’m also told that the injured have been taken to the hospital and are receiving treatment.”
Also, the spokesperson for Operation Safe Haven, Captain Oya James, said, “Following the attack, security personnel were deployed to prevent any breakdown of law and order in the area. There was an uprising after the incident but the situation has been brought under control.”
Reports showed on Monday that the death toll had risen to 76.
Monday Kasa, the Transition Implementation Committee Chairman of Bokkos Local Government Area, confirmed this saying that the attacks on the two local government areas took place on Saturday and lasted into Sunday.
He explained that several houses were burnt by the assailants, who also went away with farm produce belonging to the residents, saying that the casualty figure was increasing and that corpses were still being recovered by security agents, vigilantes, and hunters combing the forest for missing persons.