At least 45 persons have been confirmed dead, and several others injured following a brutal late-night attack on Zike Kimakpa community in Kwall District of Irigwe Chiefdom, Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The horrifying assault, which occurred on Sunday night, also left over 30 houses razed, plunging the community into mourning and devastation.
According to eyewitness accounts gathered by Daily Independent, the assailants, believed to be armed herders, stormed the village under the cover of darkness and opened fire indiscriminately, killing residents and torching homes in a calculated onslaught.
Confirming the attack, Danjuma Dickson Auta, Secretary General of the Irigwe Development Association (IDA), disclosed in an interview with newsmen that over 45 corpses had been recovered, with more possibly unaccounted for.
“This was not a random incident,” Auta said. “The manner and scale of the killings clearly indicate a well-coordinated and premeditated attack.”
In response, the Plateau State Government has condemned what it described as “another unprovoked attack” on peace-loving citizens of the state.
Speaking via telephone, the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Hon. Joyce Ramnap, decried the frequency of such attacks, especially in light of the recent killings in Bokkos LGA just two weeks earlier.
“This is one too many,” Ramnap said. “These serial attacks are becoming an existential threat to our people. It is deeply saddening that while we are still recovering from one tragedy, another is inflicted on us.”
She described the assault as a deliberate attempt to disrupt the peace gradually returning to Plateau State and called for calm among residents.
“Despite the provocation, we urge the people not to resort to reprisals,” she added. “The government of Governor Caleb Mutfwang remains committed to securing lives and will deal decisively with anyone or group found guilty of such heinous crimes.”
She further charged security agencies to swiftly apprehend the perpetrators, stressing that justice must be served to halt the cycle of violence in the state.
The latest attack adds to a worrying pattern of coordinated violence targeting rural communities across Plateau State, raising fresh concerns about the adequacy of security responses and the need for more proactive protection of vulnerable populations.
