By Kamsi Anayo
No fewer than 30 villagers were slaughtered in the wee hours of Wednesday as gunmen attacked Kwahaslalek village in Mangu local government area of Plateau state.
The victims of the attack were said to be mostly women and children.
The Network gathered that they had sought refuge in the home of a community leader in the area on Tuesday night following an unrest during the day in Mangu town when the gunmen laid siege and butchered all of them.
Mr Mark Haruna, a community leader in the area, confirmed the unfortunate attack.
He said, “What happened at Sabon Gari and Mangu town yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) was just a distraction so that the attention of the people will be shifted away from the villages.
“For the second time, my village Kwahaslalek (behind NYSC camp) came under attack by gunmen yesterday (Tuesday)night. They came at about 12:30 am and killed over 25 people, mostly women and children.”
Also, the Chairman of Mwaghavul Development Association, Joseph Gwankat, also confirmed the killing, describing it as callous.
“I couldn’t sleep last night as a result of what happened in Mangu town during the day yesterday. Now, I have just been told Kwahaslalek village was attacked last night and about 30 people were killed.
“From what I was told, the unrest in Mangu town yesterday created fears in many communities. Some people in the village went and evacuated their loved ones and assembled them in a place where they thought was safe.
“So in the night, the killers went to Kwahaslalek village where the people mostly women and children were assembled and killed all of them
“I was told that no security was on ground to save the villagers. This act is pure wickedness. How can people who are in their villages be targets of constant attacks and killings without anything being done to stop the perpetrators?”
Meanwhile, Plateau state police command is yet to issue a statement in respect to the incident.
Recall that the North Central State has witnessed increased attacks by terrorists in the last one month.
Over 200 villagers were killed on Christmas Eve and hundreds of homes razed when bandits launched vicious attacks in Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi local government areas of the state.