Three persons comprising a soldier and two civilians have been feared dead, while other persons were injured after some gunmen invaded Doruwa village in the BarkinLadi Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The victims were said to include a former head of the Plateau State Civil Service, Moses Gwom.
Although the details of the attack were still sketchy, sources said that the incident took place on Tuesday at about 9.30pm.
It was also speculated that the attack was launched by suspected herdsmen.
The spokesperson for Special Military Task Force, Operation Save Haven, Captain Umar Adams, confirmed the incident. “The attack took place in Doruwa community. Three persons – a soldier and two other civilians – were killed. Two of our soldiers also sustained gunshot injuries and they are presently receiving treatment in a hospital.
“The gunmen stormed the village and started shooting. No arrest has been made, but we have embarked on stop-and-search to fish out the perpetrators.”
The spokesperson for the Plateau State Police Command, ASP Matthias Tyopev, said no arrest had been made.
“The attack claimed the life of a former Head of Service, Moses Gwom, while four others were injured. We have mobilised our men to the area. No arrest for now,” he said.
A former governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang, on Wednesday condemned the killing of Gwom and others, describing the perpetrators as “merchants of evil.”
He called on Governor Simon Lalong to protect the lives and property of all people who lived in the state.
Jang, representing Plateau North Senatorial District in the National Assembly, in a statement titled, ‘One Killing too Many” urged security operatives to unmask the killers and bring them to justice.
Jang said, “I received with irk and consternation the report of the gruesome murder of Moses Gwom who was a former Head of Service with the Plateau State Government, along with two others, including a soldier with Operation Safe Haven, in the state by suspected herdsmen.
“It is a dastardly act by the merchants of evil who derive joy and happiness from bloodshed and human suffering. As the recurrent victims of these types of deliberate attacks, our patience as a community is fast approaching its breaking point, especially when the arm of the law is impotent when it comes to the arrest and prosecution of the killers of our people.”
