Politics
Over 20 killed as attackers invade Plateau community
AT least 21 people were killed and several others injured when armed attackers invaded Binper village in Bwai District of Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State in the early hours of Tuesday, August 18.
The attackers reportedly entered the community through a river around 3am while residents were asleep, breaking into houses and attacking victims to prevent them from raising an alarm.
A source from the area, who spoke with The ICIR said residents had been on alert following reports that suspected attackers were planning to invade villages in the district.
According to the source, the attackers, however, exploited the river to evade the community’s security alert and gain access to Binper.
“They came through the river. The village is not far from the main river town, about five to six kilometres away,” the source said.
“There was a rumour that the attackers would come to those villages in the district, so the villagers were alert. Most of the villages in Mangu were on alert. The only thing they used to beat their intelligence was the river. They used the river until they reached that particular village.”
The source said the attackers moved from house to house, breaking down doors and killing residents before they could raise an alarm.
According to him, people were slaughtered after they broke through their doors so they would not raise an alarm.
The attackers were said to have fled through the same river after the operation.
Another source said the attackers wiped out an entire family but cautioned that reports that villagers were aware of the impending attack were untrue, adding that many residents were caught unaware.
“I have been told that at least 24 people have died from the attack,” he said.
The incident was also reported by Daily Trust, which said more than 20 people were killed in Binper community after heavily armed attackers invaded the area around midnight.
The newspaper quoted the National President of the Mwaghavul Development Association, Bulus Dabit, as confirming the attack, while an eyewitness, Daniel Musa, said the attackers moved from house to house, forcing their way into homes and attacking sleeping residents.
Daily Trust reported that more than 20 people had been confirmed dead, while several others sustained serious injuries and some remained missing.
Confirming the attack, the Public Relations Officer of the Plateau Police Command, Alfred Alabo, said the initial figure received by the command was 18 casualties.
Alabo, however, said the number of casualties was believed to have risen to more than 20 as more information emerged from the community.
He added that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Faniyan Ayodeji, alongside other senior officers, was on his way to the scene to assess the situation.
The ICIR reports that Plateau has seen many attacks and killings this year. Both the Nigerian and United States governments have condemned the killings.