The casualty figure from the recent violent attacks in Plateau State’s Bokkos Local Government Area has increased to 52, local officials confirmed.
The grim discovery of 40 additional bodies on Wednesday and Thursday night came as search teams scoured the area for missing persons. Farmasum Fuddang, Chairman of the Bokkos Cultural Development Council (BCDC) Vanguard, revealed that 31 victims were given a mass burial on Thursday.
The breakdown shows five minors were burnt to death in Hurti village, 11 killed in Ruwi, four in Manguna, and one in Daffo.
As the search operation continues in Hurti and Mbar villages, anxious residents await news of their missing loved ones.
The Plateau State Government has condemned the attacks and called for calm as a coordinated security response is currently ongoing in the affected areas.
In a statement on Friday, the state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Joyce Ramnap, expressed concern about the renewed attacks.
She described the unfortunate incident as a setback to the gains in maintaining law and order by security agencies in the local government area.
“Security agencies have deployed and dominated these areas to ensure normalcy returns at the shortest possible time,” she stated.
“Additionally, important arrests have been made by the security agencies and this will hopefully help in stemming the tide of this ugly situation.”
Ramnap also urged Plateau residents to exercise restraint and refrain from taking the law into their own hands as the state government has deployed strategic measures to enhance intelligence gathering, surveillance, and rapid response mechanisms in collaboration with security operatives.
Also, religious, traditional, and community leaders have been urged to reinforce the message of peace, unity, and lawful engagement as the government is committed to upholding law and order and will not relent in its pursuit of justice against those who seek to destabilize the communities.
Residents were also encouraged to remain law-abiding, support security efforts, and utilize official channels for security concerns.
Tensions have soared in the state since about 200 people were killed at Christmas 2023 celebrations during a bloody attack on a majority Christian village.
In May last year, around 40 people were killed and homes torched in the town of Wase.