Not less than 13 persons have been killed by gunmen in Ngbra Zongo community of Kwall District in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State.
While several other residents were also said to have sustained varying degrees of injuries during the attack, which occurred in the early hours of Friday.
A member of the community, Mr Philip Alanga, told journalists in Jos that the attackers stormed the area at about 12 a.m. and started shooting sporadically while attacking residents with machetes and other dangerous weapons.
According to him, the assailants moved from house to house during the attack, leaving many residents in panic and confusion.
“They came into the community around midnight and started shooting and hacking people to death.
They moved from one house to another, attacking innocent people,” Alanga said.
He added that several persons sustained injuries while many families fled into nearby bushes to escape the attack.
Another resident of the community, Mr Chigoji Rocku, disclosed that three of those killed during the attack were pregnant women.
The Secretary General of the Irigwe Development Association, IDA, Mr Danjuma Auta, confirmed the incident to newsmen in Jos, describing the attack as tragic and condemnable.
Auta lamented the recurring attacks on communities in Bassa Local Government Area and other parts of the state and called on security agencies to intensify efforts towards protecting lives and property in vulnerable rural communities.
He urged security operatives to quickly track down those responsible for the attack and ensure that justice is served to deter further violence in the area.
Efforts to reach the spokesman of the Plateau State Police Command, SP Alfred Alabo, for comments on the incident were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
– Vanguard
