There was anger and deep sorrow at the mass burial of eight members of a family who were killed by suspected Fulani militia during an attack on Mbwelle village in Kwatas district, Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, on Friday.
The bandits had invaded the village on Thursday night and staged an attack killing over 20 people and injuring several others.
According to residents, the terrorists had stormed the village at about 10.30pm and shot sporadically for nearly an hour without hindrance as attempts to alert security personnel were futile.
It was gathered that the gunmen went from house to house in what was believed to be targeted attacks and when they got to the house of one Elder Iliya Mangut Dakus, they rounded up the family members who could not escape and slaughtered them in cold blood.
The victims of the massacre were identified as:
Elder Iliya Mangut Dakus (70)
Luck Titus Dakus (38)
Habila Istifanu Dakus (38)
Hassan Istifanus Dakus (31)
Mrs. Hassan Moses Dakus (25)
Wisdom Lucky Dakus (15)
Sunday Gideon Dakus (31)
Innocent Barnabas Makwin (20)
It was, however, a moment of anger during their mass burial as community and youth leaders demanded justice and apprehension of the perpetrators of the dastardly act.
A youth leader in the community, Christopher Luka, who spoke at the funeral service, expressed anger over the lack of security presence during the assault, which lasted for several hours despite the village’s proximity to Bokkos town.
“When I heard the gunshots, I started calling others to find out where the shooting was coming from. Before this, the area had been relatively peaceful.
“There had been no recent incidents of violence, so this attack came as a shock. We strongly condemn both the attack and the absence of security personnel.
“This is a devastating assault on the people of Bokkos and Plateau State as a whole,” he said.
Chairman of the Bokkos chapter of the Plateau Youth Council, PYC, Dakol James, who also spoke at the service, condemned the attack, which he said was unprovoked, and appealed to the government to intervene urgently to end the violence.
“The entire Bokkos youth population is deeply disappointed with the security situation. As of this morning, no security personnel have been deployed to assess the situation.
“It has been about 12 hours, and we have not seen any security presence,” James said.
A community leader, Yunana Amos, lamented the incessant attacks on local communities in Bokkos and blamed the government and security agencies for not doing much to curb violence in the state.
“The gunmen came around 10.30pm and started shooting sporadically. They targeted one family mostly. We have eight confirmed dead, some seriously injured, and others still unaccounted for.
“Our people are angry over the failure of security operatives to protect them and are planning to protest.
“The security forces did not respond despite the proximity of the area to one of their base camps,” Amos lamented.
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