Gunmen have invaded communities within the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, leaving five residents dead following a series of coordinated attacks.
The affected areas included Sabon- Angwa, around Bet/Zat of Barkin Ladi and Rakung, which were attacked on Thursday.
It was gathered that four people were killed in Sabon- Angwa, while one person was killed in Rakung.
Residents of the area said most of the disturbing aspect of the attack was that warnings had reportedly been issued about a possible impending assault, yet no effective action was taken to prevent it.
They said that the curfew imposed in Mangu and Bokkos LGAs following the recent spate of violence remain in force, restricting movement between 6pm to 6am.
However, the latest attack reportedly occurred at 7:22pm, more than an hour after the curfew took effect.
A resident said, “How can armed men attack a community in an area where a curfew is supposed to be in force?
“Besides, we do see security agencies enforcing curfew along the road sides, highways and even in some communities, whenever it is curfew time.
“The security agencies often confront road users in cars, tricycles, motorcycles and even pedestrians, as well as going into the communities to order people to enter their rooms once it is curfew time.
“Surprisingly, however, this attack happened when the curfew was already in place. We will need some answers to this from security agencies.”
Meanwhile Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, the leader of the Berom Youth Moulders-Association (BYM), confirmed that there was an early warning alert sent out to relevant authorities that gunmen were spotted in some places and were planning attacks on communities.
According to Mwantiri, he personally called all the security outfits to inform them about the threat.
The Plateau State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Alfred Alabo l, could not be reached for reaction as he did not respond to calls and text messages by our correspondent, as of press time.
What You Should Know
Armed attackers killed five people across communities in Barkin Ladi LGA during an active curfew period, raising serious concerns among residents about the effectiveness of security enforcement.
- Positive Impact: None identified in this report as security measures failed to deter the assault.
- Potential Concerns: Heightened insecurity, failure of active curfews to protect citizens, and growing frustration over ignored early-warning security alerts.
