The terrorists causing havoc in Plateau State have issued a warning about initiating new assaults on a community within the state today, specifically on Friday.
On Thursday, Stanley Kavwam, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the Middle Belt Forum, confirmed the threat during an appearance on the Arise TV program.
He revealed that the terrorists had conveyed an impending attack through a letter to the Pushit community in Mangu Local Government Area, which is his hometown.
“While I was driving down from Jos to this place, I received a call. A letter was sent to my own village by the terrorists that the attackers were going to invade on the 29th of this December.
“All the attacks that were orchestrated, there was a letter to that effect that was dropped by an anonymous person, intimating the residents of Mangu LGA that there would be attacks”, he said.
Reports state that the communication comes just four days after audacious gunmen raided 17 communities on Christmas Eve, resulting in numerous casualties and the complete destruction of these communities.
The death toll from this brutal attack on unsuspecting villagers in three local government areas of the state has now reached 196. A reliable source familiar with the tragic incident informed newsmen on Thursday that at least 149 individuals, including women and children, have been laid to rest in Bokkos Local Government Area.
The unprovoked assault by the bloodthirsty assailants, who have been sowing chaos in the state, also claimed the lives of no fewer than 28 people in Barkin Ladi LGA. Additionally, approximately 19 individuals were fatally shot in Mangu Local Government Area during this horrific attack, all of which transpired within a 24-hour period.
The persistent bloodshed in the state has raised questions about whether the perpetrators are identifiable or not.
According to a security insider who spoke to newsmen, the identities of the terrorists are not concealed. He explained that this is a longstanding problem involving certain stakeholders in the state.
“There are people deliberately frustrating the efforts of security personnel. It is a technical issue that has been there for years. But trust me, the security agencies here are looking for means to end this attack once and for all.
“Since they don’t want peace, we may give them what they want”, he said anonymously.”
Reports state that Hon Peter Ibrahim Gyendeng, the federal lawmaker representing Barkin Ladi/Riyom in Plateau State in the House of Representatives, asserted in an Arise TV interview that they are familiar with the assailants.
In a recently circulated video clip on social media, the lawmaker stated that even the security agencies are aware of the attackers. He further affirmed that the terrorists typically issue advance notices of their impending attacks.
He said, “They are not hidden. The security agencies know them very well. We know where they are coming from, we know where they go when they attack.
“That is not hidden. It is something that has been happening, most times, the good Samaritan among the herders will call and say ‘these people are coming to attack’.
“Sometimes, the place they say they are going to attack, they don’t attack the place. They will go to another vulnerable place and attack.”