Five people have been killed in an attack in the Mbar community of Bokkos Local Government Area, Plateau State, North Central Nigeria.
In a statement released by the Bokkos Cultural Development Council Vanguard, Chairman Farmasum Fuddang confirmed that the attack took place on Sunday night as some youths were traveling within the local area.
The statement detailed that the unarmed youths were ambushed by terrorists on motorcycles while heading from Mbar town to Koh village, along a bypass near Yelwa Nono village. The attackers had reportedly been repelled by the military from nearby mountains before the assault.
The council condemned the killing of the five innocent young men, especially given earlier intelligence warnings about a suspected influx of terrorists into the region.
“By the time the security forces were informed about the attack and arrived at the scene several minutes later, the terrorists had completed their mission and fled without apprehension. This incident adds to a series of armed attacks in our villages, including the recent murder of eleven youths in Tarangol, Daffo, and Bargesh villages on September 3rd 2024,” the group said.
The group also expressed concerns on continuous unprovoked attacks which are perceived as calculated attempts at evicting the people from their ancestral homes and taking over the land.
“We request to be involved in handling the threats in our land, working in synergy with security forces as is the case with the civilian joint task force in the northeast and northwest regions.
“This is not to undermine or underrate the efforts of the military. However, we understand the logistics and manpower shortages faced by the military, requiring the active participation of local community members who know the terrain and can better assist with intelligence to identify and expose criminal elements in communities,” the group said.
The management of Bokkos Local Government Council, headed by the Director of Personnel Management, Christy Loyi, confirmed the incident and visited the families of the victims. During the visit, Loyi assured the families that security measures would be strengthened within the local government area to prevent future attacks.