From Jude Owuamanam, Jos
No fewer than 11 people, amongst them a pregnant woman, her husband, and a ten-year-old girl, were killed in a renewed attack in Ruwi village of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Our correspondent gathered that the incident happened on Thursday at about 9.30 pm, as the victims were at a wake-keep ceremony mourning the demise of their loved ones.
Confirming the incident, the Bokkos Cultural Development Council (BCDC) Vanguard, in a statement signed by Chairman Farmasum Fuddang and Secretary Duwam Bosco, said that the gunmen who “were shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ launched a devastating attack on March 27th, 2025, in Ruwi village, resulting in the deaths of 11 people, including a pregnant woman and her husband, as well as a ten-year-old girl.”
BCDC said that the evening assault came just weeks after rumours circulated about a planned attack during the ongoing Lent season.
“Reports indicated that terrorists claiming to fight for ‘Islam’ intended to exploit this sacred month to carry out jihad on Plateau and surrounding regions for land-grabbing purposes.
“Unfortunately, the safety of vulnerable communities was left to unarmed civilian watchers, who were unable to repel the invasion of Ruwi by heavily armed terrorists.
“The attack was successfully carried out without any obstruction or arrest, despite the fact that soldiers from Operation Safe Haven are located just 500 metres away. They failed to respond to the sound of gunfire and the desperate cries for help from defenceless women and children.
“Ultimately, 11 innocent lives were lost, and at least three others were severely injured.
“The attack in Ruwi is merely the latest in a series that have claimed dozens of lives in Bokkos. It targeted Christians mourning the loss of an elderly woman and underscores the failures of our security and intelligence systems.
“More importantly, it reveals the ethnic cleansing and religious dimension to the ongoing violence—attackers who spoke the Fulani dialect and targeted Christians during Lent religious observances suggest a motivation rooted in ethnicity and religious cleansing, potentially aimed at establishing a caliphate.”
While condemning the incident, the police, in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer, DSP Alfred Alabo, said the command received a report at about 10.00 pm of some unknown armed hoodlums who invaded Ruwi village at about 9.20 pm and started shooting sporadically.
The statement said, “As a result, some law-abiding citizens of the community who were at a wake-keep ceremony mourning the demise of their loved ones unfortunately lost their lives, while others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
“Upon receiving the report, the Commissioner of Police immediately directed the DPO Bokkos Division to mobilise and deploy officers to the scene for necessary action.
“The Commissioner of Police also deployed additional manpower and operational assets from the State Headquarters to Bokkos and its surrounding Local Government Areas.
“He also directed the Area Commander Pankshin to relocate his base to Bokkos for strict supervision of all operations and to avoid recurrence of such unfortunate incidents until normalcy is restored.
“The CP assured the people of Plateau State that the Command under his leadership remained committed to ensuring the safety and security of the lives and properties of the peace-loving citizens of Plateau State; as we are doing everything necessary within our constitutional powers to ensure that the perpetrators of this heinous and inhuman act are arrested and made to face the full weight of the law.”