“We must stay united to defend our communities,” the Governor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang, has urged residents in the wake of the recent killings that claimed over 195 lives.
The death toll in the Christmas Eve attack in Nigeria’s Home of Peace and Tourism by armed gangs has risen to 195. In a detailed report on December 25, TruthNigeria reported how the militia-like gangs, locally called “bandits”, overran more than 15 communities across Bokkos, Riyom and Mangu counties, and torched houses on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Gunfire was still heard on Tuesday and Wednesday. Village residents did not report to TruthNigeria intervention by the military, which has a forward operating base in Mangu.
The Governor said in a Tuesday statement that the State celebrated Christmas with a heavy heart. “It has been a gory Christmas for us,” Mutfwang lamented.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but locals blame terrorists from the Fulani tribe, who have been accused of carrying out such mass killings across Nigeria’s Northwest and central regions for 8 years. The bandit militias operate from bases deep in forests and raid villages to loot and kidnap residents for ransom.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
