At least 30 people, mostly women and children, were killed in a brutal attack by gunmen in Kwahaslalek village, Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, early Wednesday morning.
The attack, which targeted villagers who had sought refuge in the home of a community leader following earlier unrest in Mangu town, has sent shockwaves through the region and reignited concerns about escalating violence in the state.
A community leader, Mark Haruna, stated that the gunmen struck around 12:30 a.m., targeting those who had fled the daytime unrest.
Haruna described the attack as a calculated move to exploit the distraction caused by the earlier violence.
“What happened at Sabon Gari and Mangu town yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) was just a distraction so that the attention of the people will be shifted away from the villages.
“For the second time, my village, Kwahaslalek (behind the NYSC camp), came under attack by gunmen yesterday (Tuesday) night. They came at about 12:30 am and killed over 25 people, mostly women and children.”
The Chairman of the Mwaghavul Development Association, Joseph Gwankat, also condemned the attack, describing it as callous.
Gwankat described the events, explaining how the unrest in Mangu town during the day had instilled fear in many communities. As a result, some residents evacuated their loved ones and gathered them in what they believed to be a safe location.
“In the night, the killers went to Kwahaslalek village where the people, mostly women and children, were assembled and killed all of them,” Gwankat lamented.
The attack comes just days after Governor Caleb Mutfwang declared a 24-hour curfew on Mangu LGA following previous unrest that left several houses, including churches and mosques, burned down.
