By Damilare Adeleye
Thirty persons have reportedly been killed by unknown gunmen in Plateau State in the early hours of Wednesday.
The killing took place when the gunmen attacked Kwahaslalek village, Mangu Local Government Area of the state.
It was learnt that the victims, who were mostly women and children, had run to the house of a community leader in the area on Tuesday night for safety following an earlier unrest during the day in Mangu town when the gunmen surrounded them and killed all of them.
Recall that Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State declared a 24-hour curfew on the Mangu LGA on Tuesday.
The governor said the decision followed the deteriorating security situation in the area after an unrest left several houses, including churches and mosques, burnt down.
A community leader in the area, Mark Haruna, confirmed the death toll of the fresh attack to newsmen in Jos, the state capital, on Wednesday.
Haruna 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.”
Joseph Gwankat, Chairman of Mwaghavul Development Association, 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,” he said
The chairman, who condemned the killing, added, “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?”