At last 47 people have been confirmed dead following coordinated attacks by gunmen on the Zike and Kimakpa communities in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State on Sunday night.
The violence erupted around 8:00 p.m., leaving several others injured and numerous homes razed.
The attack comes just days after a similar assault in Bokkos Local Government Area claimed 52 lives and left a trail of destruction.
Danjuma Auta, National Secretary of the Irigwe Development Association, confirmed the casualty figure, stating that the communities were overwhelmed by the scale of the violence.
“Many houses were razed down by the attackers, and properties were equally destroyed,” Auta said.
Brigadier-General Gakji Shipi (Rtd), Acting Coordinator of Operation Rainbow and Special Adviser on Internal Security to Governor Caleb Mutfwang, also confirmed the attack but did not specify the number of casualties.
He described the incident as a major blow to ongoing peace efforts in the region.
“Government and security agencies are on top of the situation, and we will soon nip these ugly incidents in the bud,” Shipi said.
Joseph Yonkpa, National Publicity Secretary of the Irigwe Youth Movement, revealed that residents and security personnel were alerted to a possible attack hours before it occurred. However, he expressed disappointment over the lack of timely response from security forces.
“The security people only showed up this morning,” he noted.
Injured victims have been taken to the Jos University Teaching Hospital and other nearby medical facilities for treatment.
Efforts to reach Alfred Alabo, spokesperson for the Plateau State Police Command, were unsuccessful as calls and messages went unanswered.