Plateau residents ask how gunmen carried out bloody attack yesterday despite curfew being in place

LOCAL residents in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State are asking security forces how armed hoodlums thought to be Fulani cattle herdsmen managed to attack the village of Tafi-Gana despite a curfew being in place.

In August 14, there was an attack along the Rukuba Road area of Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, which claimed many lives and left several others injured. Reports say that 23 of those attacked lost their lives while an additional 23 persons sustained injuries and are currently receiving treatment.

After the bloody clash, 26 others were said to have been rescued unhurt and so far, 20 suspects have been arrested, with security agencies are conducting investigations to get to the bottom of the matter. In response to the bloody attack, Governor Simon Lalong imposed a curfew from 6pm to 6am in Jos North, Bassa and Jos South local government areas of the state until further notice.

However, despite the curfew, gunmen still managed to carry out a bloody attack in Bassa Local Government Area five persons. Yesterday night, the assailants attacked Tafi-Gana village, killing their victims while asleep and in another attack in Dong village, the gunmen killed a local resident, according to Danjuma Auta, the community leader.

Ezekiel Bini, the national president of the Irigwe Development Association, the whereabouts of four other persons have remained unknown after the attack. He added: “Yes, it is true that five persons have been killed in fresh attack on us.

"We are now on our way to meet the governor over the continued killings in our communities of Bassa, despite the curfew by the state government. They were killed right in their homes.

"Their corpses have just been deposited at the mortuary. Aside the five persons, four others have been missing."