No fewer than four persons have been reportedly killed by gunmen
suspected to be herdsmen at Gbra-Zongo village of Irigwe Chiefdom of
Bassa Local Government Area in Plateau State.
Among those who were killed is a 34-year-old Pastor, Mathew Tagwai, of Evangelical Church Winning All, according to Daily Sun.
The
newly posted pastor serving with ECWA church was killed alongside three
others by the gunmen who attacked Ggbra Zongo community on Tuesday
night, Daily Sun has learnt.
A resident, Chayi Biri, confirmed
the incident to Daily Sun, giving the names of the deceased persons as
Dih Sunday, 21; Duh Abba, 38; and Ishaku Abba, 10.
Irigwe
Chiefdom in the local government area has been under siege as a result
of constant attacks by gunmen suspected to be herdsmen.
No fewer than 12 persons were brutally killed and property worth millions of naira destroyed by the gunmen.
A
source close to Gbra-Zongo village where the incident occurred posited
that the gunmen numbering about twenty invaded the village in the early
hours of Wednesday and shot indiscriminately into the air to announce
their arrival.
The source further disclosed that the gunmen in
the process of their nefarious act killed four persons, injured six and
burnt down many houses.
The Chairman, Maingo Youth Development
Association, Mr Nuhu Nkali, said the mode of the attack was not
different from the previous ones in Irigwe Chiefdom, adding that it was
carried out without any resistance either from the harmless community or
security men.
“In this attack, four persons were killed
including a clergyman and 10-year-old boy. The attack started at about
19:56 pm [and continued to] the early hours of Wednesday. The gunmen had
a field day because there was no security men on ground to repel them.
Security men in the community were withdrawn about one month ago after
two of their men were killed,” he said.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Ubah Gabriel, confirmed that four people were killed in the attack.
He
said the State Commissioner of Police, Mr Isaac Akinmoyede, has
deployed more police under the command of Assistant Commissioner of
Police (Operations) to the affected community.
“The Command is investigating the case and we solicit for useful information from the community to make arrests.”