Six persons have been reportedly killed and three left critically injured after gunmen attacked Wereng village of Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State by suspected herdsmen.
Police spokesman, ASP Gabriel Ubah confirmed the incident through a statement on Friday noting that the attack occurred at a social centre on Thursday night.
According to Ubah, the assailants pounced on some villagers who were retiring for the day.
The Police Public Relations Officer further stated that the Police Commissioner has directed the area commander to relocate to the community with more personnel deployed to restore normalcy in the area and forestall any reprisal while investigations into the matter continue.
Mr Timothy Dantong, the lawmaker representing Riyom constituency in the Plateau State House of Assembly while confirming the incident described it as an embarrassment to the community.
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He said the situation was more embarrassing especially considering that there was a warning signal which he personally reported to the security agencies prior to the attack but to no avail.
The attack on Wereng is coming less than a week after eight miners were killed in Kuru, Jos south local government area of the state.
The victims, comprising five women and three men were attacked by suspected herdsmen who also left several others sustaining injuries.
Secretary-General of Kuru Development Association, Chapo Daniel condemned the incident, describing it as a heavy loss to the community considering that the victims went for their legitimate business and were ambushed by the assailants after the day’s business activities.
Reacting to the attack via a statement, Governor Simon Lalong, asked security agencies to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to book.
The governor expressed anger over what he described as another desperate attempt by criminals to destabilise the state and create fear among the people which is not acceptable considering the commendable level of peace achieved in recent times.
Lalong also commiserated with families of those killed during the attack and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
He called on citizens to assist law enforcement agencies with useful intelligence and embrace various structures such as the traditional institutions, community police constabulary, vigilante groups and other associations in tackling the security challenges.
