Another 10 persons have been killed and one injured despite the increased presence of security operatives in Mangu Local Government Area (LGA) where Plateau State Governor, Mr. Caleb Mutfwang hails from.
Killings in Mangu by unknown gunmen often believed by locals to be Fulani militants, increased in intensity with the coming of Mutfwang, leading many to believe it was intended to sabotage hin and give him a bad name.
At a point, the number of security men in the axis was increased, but this has not stopped the killings.
This time around on Sunday, the killers targeted Kulben community in Gindiri District.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quotes a member of the community, Mr Jerry Datim, that the incident occurred on Sunday night.
‘’Last night, at about 8:40 p.m., some gunmen attacked Kulben community, killed 10 persons and injured one.
‘’The criminals invaded the village and started shooting sporadically. People started running to safety but the bullets killed some whose bodies were later found.
‘’We alerted the security personnel, but before they got there, the attackers had moved from the community,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, the Niger Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA) on Monday said the death toll from Sunday’s boat mishap in Mokwa Local Government Area had risen to 30 from 24.
Alhaji Garba Salihu, NSEMA’s acting Director General, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna.
He said that the agency had so far rescued 30 persons in Gbajibo area where the incident occurred.
”Yesterday, I told you that we have recovered 24 corpses, but that same day it later increased to 26 dead bodies.
”Today, we recovered four more corpses, making 30 in all,” Salihu said.
The acting director general said that 27 of the deceased were women, while three were male children.
Salihu dispelled the rumour making the rounds that 100 passengers boarded the ill-fated boat.
“For now, nobody knows the number of passengers on that boat. Many people entered the boat, so knowing the actual number of passengers on board will be difficult,” he said.
Salihu said that the agency had stopped searching for the victims of the boat mishap, pending when the need arose.
NAN also reports that the victims were from Gbajibo, Ekwa and Yankyade communities who were on their way to their farms at the other side of river Niger (old Gbajibo) when the incident occurred.
▪︎ Additional report by NAN.