The death toll in attacks by gunmen in Manguno, Josho and Daffo communities of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau state has risen to 52.
Gunmen invaded the communities on Wednesday killing not less than 10 people, Bokkos stakeholders confirmed.
The Chairman of Bokkos Cultural Development Council Vanguard (BCDC), Farmasum Fuddang said the attacks started from Mongor and moved to Daffo, Manguna, Hurti and Tadai communities.
Fuddang, who confirmed the latest development in Jos on Friday, said this followed the recovery of 40 more corpses on Wednesday and Thursday night while the search and rescue team kept combing the bushes for missing persons.
“Thirty-one persons were given a mass burial on Thursday, with another five underage victims burnt to ashes in Hurti village, 11 others were killed in Ruwi village, four persons were killed in Manguna, with one person killed in Dafo village”, the chairman stated.
Meanwhile, Gov. Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State has condemned the recent wave of violent attacks in the state.
The governor, in a statement issued by the state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mrs. Joyce Ramnap, on Friday in Jos, called for calm and swift security response.
“We wish to extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and assure them that every effort is being made to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“My administration remains fully committed to ensuring the safety and security of all Plateau residents as security agencies have been deployed and have dominated those areas to ensure normalcy returns at the shortest possible time.
“Arrests have been made by the security agencies which will hopefully help in stemming the tide of the ugly situation.
“We strongly urge citizens to exercise restraint and refrain from taking the law into their own hands.”
The governor also called on all residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities to the relevant security agencies.
He urged citizens to actively cooperate with law enforcement agencies to facilitate the identification and apprehension of those responsible for the heinous acts.
The governor said security operatives had been deployed to strategic measures to enhance intelligence gathering, surveillance and rapid response mechanisms in collaboration with security operatives.
He called on all religious, traditional and community leaders to reinforce the message of peace, unity and lawful engagement.
Mutfwang said his administration remained resolute in its commitment to upholding law and order and would not relent in its pursuit of justice against those who seek to destabilise the state.
“Residents are also encouraged to remain law-abiding, support security efforts and utilise official channels for security concerns,’’ he said
