The Plateau State Police Command on Tuesday revealed that 86 individuals lost their lives, and 221 houses were set on fire during the Christmas Eve attacks carried out by gunmen in Plateau State.
The disclosure was made by the State Commissioner of Police, Okoro Alawari, in a statement signed by the command’s spokesman, Alfred Alabo, on Tuesday.
Alawari stated that the assailants carried out the attacks in 15 communities of Bokkos and Barkin Ladi Local Government Areas of the state, resulting in the burning of eight vehicles in the process.
The statement read, “The Commissioner of Police, Plateau State Command, CP Okoro Alawari expresses grief over the deadly attacks that took place in some remote villages of Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi Local Government Areas of Plateau State carried out by some yet-to-identified assailants on the December 24, 2023 at odd hours of the night, and sympathises with the families of those who lost their loved ones in the gruesome attack.”
“On December 24, 2023, at 2200hrs, the following 12 villages in Bokkos LGA were attacked; Ndun, Ngyong, Murfet, Makundary, Tamiso, Chiang, Tahore, Gawarba, Dares, Meyenga, Darwat and Butura Kampani.
“Similarly, on December 24, 2023, at about 2245hrs, three villages in Barkin-Ladi LGA namely; NTV, Hurum and Darawat were also attacked.”
To avert additional violence, the Commissioner of Police issued instructions for the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations to move to Bokkos LGA. Additionally, a contingent of operational forces was dispatched to the troubled areas to both forestall further attacks and evaluate the extent of damages in the affected regions.
“Findings from the assessment of the ugly incidents in Bokkos LGA revealed that the total number of villages attacked is 12; 221 houses were set ablaze, 27 motorcycles were burnt, eight motor vehicles were burnt down and over 79 persons were killed while 17 deaths were recorded in Barkin-ladi LGA.
“Investigation and monitoring of the incidents are still on. Further development will be communicated soon,” the statement added