Unidentified gunmen killed 18 farmers and injured several others in a late-night attack on Kawel village, Mushere District of Bokkos Local Government Area, Plateau State. A youth leader in Bokkos, Christopher Luka, confirmed the incident on Monday, stressing that the attack occurred around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday.
The latest violence came barely five days after the District Head of Gwande in the same LGA, Saf Samuel Alaket, was killed in an ambush along the Sha District axis bordering the Daffo community. The monarch was reportedly returning from a council meeting when he ran into the attackers.
The youth, while recounting the Sunday night assault, said a member of the youth council alerted him as the attack was ongoing. “A youth leader called around 12 a.m. that gunmen attacked the community and shot over 20 people. Eighteen were confirmed dead,” he said.
He added that he immediately contacted security operatives stationed in Bokkos, who confirmed they had been alerted and were moving to the scene. Luka described the attack as unprovoked and called on security agencies to take urgent action to prevent further escalation in the area.
As of the time of filing this report, no security agency had issued an official statement on the incident. Attempts to reach the spokespersons of the Plateau State Police Command, SP Alabo Alfred, and Operation Enduring Peace, Capt. Polycarp Auta, were unsuccessful.
