Four young men were tragically killed in Plateau State on Friday night following a deadly assault by gunmen in Bokkos Local Government Area.
The victims were attacked while working at a mining site in Butura, a community that has seen recurring violence.
According to The PUNCH, the attack, which occurred around 9 pm, left four people dead on the spot and five others wounded.
The President of the Butura Youth Movement, Sabastine Magit, confirmed the incident in a statement released on Saturday, lamenting the persistent assaults on their community.
Magit explained that the attackers, believed to be armed Fulani gunmen, stormed the mining site near the villages of Kuba and Maikatako, opening fire on the unsuspecting youths.
The four victims were identified as Bwefuk Musa, 21; Klingshak Dickson, 21; Promise Joshua, 20; and Nyam Abaka, 20.
“In yet another unprovoked assault on members of the Butura community, armed terrorists, speaking the Fulani dialect, opened fire on innocent youths working at a mining site near the villages of Kuba and Maikatako in the Butura district of Bokkos Local Government Area in Plateau State on October 10,” Magit’s statement read.
“The attack was carried out at approximately 9 pm without any provocation, leading to the death of four innocent people and the injury of five others,” he added.
The statement highlighted that this attack took place just four days after another massacre in Wumat village, where five members of a family, including a pregnant woman, were brutally murdered.
Eyewitnesses from the scene described how the gunmen struck swiftly and fled before security personnel stationed nearby could intervene.
“Eyewitnesses report that the assailants executed a lightning-fast operation on October 10, fleeing the scene before military personnel stationed at a nearby checkpoint could respond,” the statement continued. “Tragically, four individuals were killed instantly, and five others sustained injuries. The deceased are: Bwefuk Musa, 21 years; Klingshak Dickson, 21 years; Promise Joshua, 20 years, and Nyam Abaka, 20 years.”
The attack is the latest in a series of violent raids on the Butura community, which has suffered over 20 deaths in the past month, with Fulani gunmen frequently identified as the perpetrators.
Despite the rising death toll, authorities have yet to address the situation publicly. Attempts to contact the Plateau State Police Command spokesman, Alabo Alfred, as well as Major Samson Zhakom of the Military Taskforce responsible for peacekeeping in the area, were unsuccessful, as their phones went unanswered.
Likewise, the state’s Commissioner for Information, Musa Ashoms, was not immediately available for comment.
The escalating violence in Plateau State continues to raise concerns, with local communities calling for stronger security measures to prevent further loss of lives.
