By Muhammed Abubakar, Reporting
NO fewer than 11 persons have been confirmed killed and eight others injured in a late-night attack on the Maikatako community of Butura district in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.
This is just as Governor Simon Lalong of the state has condemned the attack and called on security operatives to fish out the killers.
The attackers, suspected to be herdsmen, also burnt down four houses in the process.
Stonix News gathered that they stormed the community around 11:00p.m on Tuesday and started shooting sporadically, overwhelming the vigilante group members on patrol.
Nine of the victims were said to have been burnt beyond recognition in a compound that was razed while the others were found earlier Wednesday morning around the bushes.
According to a member of the community, the violence was sparked after the weekly Monday market when a boy was shot at Hilltop, a community about a kilometre from Maikatako.
The shooting led to tension around the community on Tuesday even as the vigilante group members made efforts to secure the area and repel attack attempts after observing strange movements and calling security operatives.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Police Command in Plateau State, DSP Alfred Alabo, confirmed the attack,but said he had yet to get the full details.
The Commander of Operation Safe Haven, Major General Ibrahim Ali, is on the ground to assess the situation.
Stonix News reports that Operation Safe Haven is a military task force established to ensure peace in Plateau, parts of Bauchi and Kaduna states.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued by the Director of Press and Public Affairs, Makut Machan, Lalong asked the security forces in the state to fish out the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
The governor, who sympathised with the families of the victims, reiterated that his administration would not allow terrorists and bandits to take a foothold in any part of the state as all security agencies had been directed to be firm on any person or group behind the attack.
According to him, the rising incidence of attacks and destruction of farm crops, livestock, and other properties within Bokkos LGA is becoming worrisome and must be checked immediately.
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