Unidentified gunmen have killed five persons in the Mbar community of the Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.

This was contained in a statement by the Chairman, Bokkos Cultural Development Council Vanguard, Farmasum Fuddang.

According to the statement, the attack occurred on Sunday night when some youths were in transit within the local government area.

The statement added that the harmless and unarmed youths were attacked on their way from Mbar town to Koh village along a bypass encircling Yelwa Nono village by fleeing terrorists on motorcycles, who were initially repelled by the military from the surrounding mountains.

The group condemned the attack leading to the killing of five innocent young men in the Mbar community despite prior intelligence reports of suspected terrorists’ influx into the area.

It 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.

“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.

“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 the Bokkos Local Government Council led by the Director of Personnel Management, Christy Loyi, confirmed the incident and visited the families of affected victims with assurances that security would be reinforced in the local government area.