No fewer than five people, including a soldier, have been killed, while three others sustained injuries in separate attacks by suspected gunmen on two communities in Plateau State.
The attacks occurred in Bel village, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, and Lakas village, Mangu Local Government Area, with residents calling on security agencies to strengthen protection in the affected communities.
Four people, including three civilians and a soldier, were killed when gunmen attacked Bel village in Sho community at about 9pm on Sunday.
A resident, Bulus Bot, who confirmed the incident, said the attackers stormed the community and opened fire indiscriminately on residents, leaving several people dead and others injured.
“The gunmen stormed the community at about 9 p.m. and opened fire on innocent citizens, leaving some people dead and others injured,” he said.
The Publicity Secretary of the Berom Youth Moulders Association, Rwang Tengwong, also confirmed the attack, identifying three of the civilian victims as Emmanuel Pam Dachung, 15; Joseph Gyang, 28; and Emmanuel Yohanna, 32.
He added that a soldier was also among those killed, bringing the death toll from the attack to four. He called on security agencies to track down the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
In a separate attack around the same period, suspected gunmen killed one person and injured another in Lakas village, Panyam District, Mangu Local Government Area.
Meanwhile, efforts to obtain comments from security operatives on the incidents were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.