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From Jude Owuamanam, Jos
It was a black Christmas day for some communities in Bokkos, Mangu and Barkin Ladi local government areas of Plateau State as rampaging gunmen in simultaneous attack killed more than 60 people.
Many people were also injured and hiundreds displaced as the marauders ran through Dares Mandar, Butura in Bokkos and parts of Batkin Ladi local government areas, ransacking 27 villages.
The latest Killing came after 16 people were killed on Saturday night in Mangu.
However a netizen who is resident in Bokkos, Makut Alfred Mashat, claimed that over 70 people were killed, with his family losing seven members.
It was gathered that the marauders attacked Butura Kampani, Fatamba, Fashar, Garau, Angwan No and Mbar communities in the Bokkos local government area, and Ruku, Hurum, Darwat, Mai Yanga Sabo, and NTV villages in Gashish and Ropp districts of Barkin Ladi local government area.
A security source said that the attacks were carried out simultaneously in these communities at about 10:00 p.m., when the residents had retired to sleep.
Transition Committee Chairmen of Bokkos local government area, Hon. Monday Kasa, who confirmed the attacks, said no fewer than 20 villages were attacked simultaneously in the council during the midnight raid, which lasted for more than three hours.
She said, ” The attack was a surprise to us; the villages and the communities were attacked at the same time, precisely between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. The number of casualties was high, and so far we have picked over five corpses.
“As I am talking to you, we are still moving from one village to another, picking up the remains of those gruesomely killed by these terrorists. Those who escaped with injuries are presently receiving treatment at various hospitals and clinics both within and outside the local government.”.
Berom Youth Moulders, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Rwang Tengwong, mentioned that no fewer than twenty persons were equally killed on Christmas Eve in eight communities in the Barakin-Ladi local government area of the state.
It pointed out that nine people were killed at NTV, five at Mai Yanga Sabo, three at Darwat, and one at Hurun, adding that the act of terrorism led to the complete displacement of thousands of people, which not only demonstrates a blatant disregard for human life but also seeks to undermine the peace and unity that are at the core of Nigerian values.
“On a day meant to celebrate love, compassion, and togetherness, the perpetrators of this dastardly act have brought untold agony, suffering, and grief to the affected communities and surrounding communities in Bokkos and Mangu Local Government Areas.
“The onslaught, followed by the invasion of Mangu and Bokkos on the 23rd day of December, 2023, claiming 22 persons, explicitly depicts the mission of the marauders to consistently maim lives and mar the Yuletide; they have long planned that Plateau would be subjected to the “mother-of-all attacks” ever witnessed, which is currently being executed,” it said.
The BYM further urged the government to take immediate and decisive action to prevent further attacks and ensure the safety and security of all citizens, regardless of their ethnic or religious background.
Mashat, who took to Facebook to bemoan the massacre in the communities, said “Black Christmas in Dares Mandar, Bokkos & part of B/Ladi-over 70 people killed – personally lost 7 relatives.
“Bokkos has been raped bloody on Christmas Eve on a silent night of rampaging rave by herdsmen on innocent locals
“On Christmas Eve, under the chilling watch of festive darkness, Bokkos LGA was violated. Not by familiar attacks of Fulani herdsmen, but by a new, hunger-driven desperation. In Dares Mandar, under the shadow of Angwan Church, and across Butura Land, marauding Herdsmen, not shepherds, descended. No cattle rustled this time, no land disputes fueled the flames. Instead, barns overflowing with harvest became targets, looted by those driven not only by territorial ambition, but by the gnawing emptiness of hunger.
“While festive carols echoed from churches, these desperate scavengers traded hymns for the crackle of burning houses. They took not livestock, but lifeblood: grains and foodstuffs, the fruits of months of toil under the sun, stolen in the cold silence of a holy night.
“This, beyond the usual Fulani herdsmen attacks, is a cry for understanding. It’s a grim warning of a new dimension to an ongoing tragedy. Security agencies must dig deep, not just into motives of land or clan, but into the festering wounds of poverty and desperation that breed such hunger.
“Justice for Bokkos demands not just retribution, but an end to the conditions that birth such predators. It demands a recognition that this attack is not the symptom of an ethnic conflict, but the howl of a starving belly echoing through empty barns on Christmas Eve.
Our correspondent could not get reactions from from the Media Information Officer, Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) Captain Oya James and the Police Public Relations Officer, Alfred Alabo. Both phones rang out unpicked.
