By Patrick Idowu
At least ten people have been killed as unknown gunmen launched coordinated attacks on five communities in Bokkos local government area of Plateau state on Wednesday afternoon.
The heavily armed assailants stormed Mangor Tamiso, Daffo, Manguna, Hurti, and Tadai in a broad daylight raid, leaving behind a trail of blood, grief, and smoldering homes.
This latest assault comes just a week after a similar attack in Ruwi community, also in Bokkos, where gunmen opened fire on mourners, pushing the death toll in the area to more than twenty within seven days.
In a statement on Thursday, Farmasum Fuddang, chairman of the Bokkos Cultural Development Council, described the attacks as part of an orchestrated plan to displace locals and establish dominance.
“These terrorists are not just killing our people,” Fuddang warned. “They aim to seize our land and impose their rule.”
He urged residents to defend themselves, noting that the reliance on government security alone is proving insufficient.
“The people of Bokkos must not allow themselves to be slaughtered. At the very least, citizens should arm themselves with non-prohibited weapons to delay attackers until help arrives,” he said.
Fuddang further appealed to emergency agencies to quickly provide relief to the displaced and injured, naming the Nigerian Red Cross, NEMA, and SEMA as key responders needed on ground.
The series of attacks has once again raised urgent questions about the security architecture in Plateau and the need for lasting solutions to the crisis engulfing its rural communities.
