Gunmen terrorising communities in Plateau State have killed seven persons and injured several others at a mining site in the Kuru community of Jos South Local Government Area.
The attackers, who were said to have arrived on motorcycles in the early hours of Thursday, opened fire on a group of young miners working at the site. The gunfire, which lasted for several minutes, caused panic as the miners fled for their lives.
One of the miners who escaped the attack, Dalyop Ibrahim, said the incident occurred around 2:35 a.m. He narrated that the gunmen began firing intermittently in different directions, leaving the miners with no chance to defend themselves.
“We were at the mining site around 2:35 a.m. when the attackers, who were on motorcycles, approached and began firing intermittently in different directions, causing the young miners to flee. Seven persons were killed by gunfire, while others sustained varying degrees of injuries,” he said.
The Berom Youth Moulder (BYM) condemned the attack, describing it as a direct assault on the peace and security of the Berom people. In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Rwang Tengwong, the group called for immediate intervention from the state and federal governments, as well as security agencies.
BYM expressed concern over the increasing pattern of coordinated attacks on communities in recent times, and urged authorities to identify, apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators and their sponsors.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved families and pray that God Almighty grants them comfort, strength, and fortitude in this moment of immeasurable grief, and that the souls of the departed rest in perfect peace,” the statement added.
According to BYM, those killed were Dung Gyang, 19; Weng Dung, 26; Francis Paul, 23; Samuel Peter, 22; Dung Simon, 28; Pam Dung, 23; and Francis Markus, 15.
Efforts to reach the spokesperson of the Plateau State Police Command, SP Alfred Alabo, were unsuccessful as he could not be reached on his phone.
