There was grief and anger on Friday during the mass burial of eight members of the same family who were killed in an attack on Mbwelle village in Kwatas district, Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The victims were reportedly killed by suspected Fulani militia during an assault that also left several others injured and claimed more than 20 lives in the wider community.
Residents said the attackers stormed the village on Thursday night at about 10:30pm and opened fire sporadically for nearly one hour. According to them, there was no immediate security response despite attempts to raise an alarm.
Sources further revealed that the gunmen moved from house to house in what appeared to be targeted attacks. When they reached the residence of Elder Iliya Mangut Dakus, they reportedly rounded up family members who could not escape and killed them.
The deceased 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), and Innocent Barnabas Makwin (20).
The burial ceremony later turned emotional as community members and youth leaders demanded justice and urgent action from authorities to arrest those behind the attack.
A youth leader, Christopher Luka, expressed concern over what he described as a lack of security response during the attack, which lasted several hours despite the village’s closeness 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.
The Chairman of the Bokkos chapter of the Plateau Youth Council (PYC), Dakol James, also condemned the killings, describing them as unprovoked. He called on authorities to urgently intervene and restore peace in the area.
“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, also expressed concern over repeated attacks in the area, blaming both government and security agencies for failing to prevent the violence.
“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.
