It was learnt that the terrorists also injured several people during the attack which is an indication of the worsening insecurity situation under the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.
Suspected terrorists on Sunday afternoon killed no fewer than seven people and injured several others when they invaded a market in the Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State.
It was learnt that the terrorists also injured several people during the attack which is an indication of the worsening insecurity situation under the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.
A youth leader in the community, Abdullahi Hussaini, told PUNCH that the terrorists arrived at the market around 2pm and opened fire on the people transacting business which led to the death of the victims.
Hussaini was quoted as saying:“The gunmen arrived at the market in their numbers riding on motorcycles.”
He continued: “They started shooting indiscriminately, killing seven people instantly while many others got injured. The gunmen successfully launched the attack and fled without any resistance because people were not expecting any security threat at the moment.
“The bandits later fled to the bush but police personnel have been deployed to the community to restore law and other.
“But after the incident, we discovered that seven persons were shot dead by the bandits leaving several others injured.
“We are calling for more security deployment in the area because we don’t know what may happen anytime soon.”
The spokesperson of the state police command, DSP Alabo Alfred, meanwhile said four persons were killed during the incident, adding that an investigation was ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding the attack.
“We are aware of the Zurak Compani incident. Four persons died and six persons who were injured are receiving treatment. Meanwhile, we have deployed our men to the area while investigation continues”, the PPRO said.
Wase LGA, located more than 200 miles from Jos, has previously seen banditry and kidnapping activities, which had been restricted by security forces in the previous year until the most recent attack on Sunday.
In the early hours of January 2024, gunmen raided Kwahaslalek village in Plateau State's Mangu Local Government Area, killing at least 30 people.
According to reports, the victims, largely women and children, fled to the home of a community leader in the region the night before to seek refuge after earlier violence in Mangu town, when gunmen encircled them and slaughtered them all.