At least 15 people have been killed in separate attacks on communities in Jos South, Mangu and Riyom Local Government Areas of Plateau State, with nine of the victims reportedly travelling to Jos when their vehicle came under attack.
The passengers were ambushed by suspected terrorists at Dungus in Jos South Local Government Area on Sunday night, while two people were killed in an attack on Vodni in Pushit District, Mangu LGA, and another two died in a separate incident at Tahoos, Riyom LGA.
The attack on the passengers was confirmed to The Punch on Monday by the spokesman for the Berom Youth Moulders, Rwang Tengwong, who said the vehicle was heading to Jos when the assailants opened fire.
He said, “The incident happened around 9.40 p.m. The victims were all passengers travelling to Jos when the terrorists opened fire on the vehicle. Among those killed was a member of Operation Rainbow. It is a very sad development, and we lament the loss of lives.”
Tengwong added that some passengers who survived the shooting sustained gunshot injuries and were taken to hospitals, where some later died.
“It was a vehicle carrying passengers to Jos. The attackers opened fire on them, and some of the victims were killed,” he said.
A resident, Musa Dauda, also confirmed that some of the injured passengers died while receiving medical attention.
He said, “Some of the passengers who were injured were taken to the hospital, but some of them died while receiving treatment. Others are still in the hospital receiving treatment.”
In Mangu, suspected terrorists reportedly attacked Vodni in Pushit District during the night, killing two people and injuring four others.
The injured victims were said to be receiving treatment at a hospital in Mangu town.
Similarly, two people were reportedly killed at Tahoos in Riyom Local Government Area in another attack carried out around the same period.
Efforts to obtain comments from the spokesman for the Plateau State Police Command, Alabo Alfred, and the Media Officer of Operation Enduring Peace, Chinonso Oteh, were unsuccessful as they had yet to respond to enquiries at the time of filing the report.
