By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu, Jos
Barely a week after gunmen opened fire on mourners in Ruwi community, Plateau State has again been thrown into mourning following the killing of at least 10 persons in coordinated attacks on five villages in Bokkos Local Government Area.
The violence, which erupted on Wednesday, sent shockwaves through the affected communities—Mongor, Daffo, Manguna, Hurti, and Tadai—forcing many residents to flee in fear of further attacks.
Chairman of the Bokkos Cultural Development Council (BCDC), Farmasum Fuddang, confirmed the tragic development in a statement issued on Thursday. He described how the attackers moved systematically from one village to another, evading initial security interventions.
“The attacks began in Mongor but security forces repelled them. Unfortunately, the attackers shifted to Daffo, then to Manguna, Hurti and Tadai, where they succeeded in killing several people before the security operatives could intervene again,” he said.
Fuddang lamented the repeated assaults on the area, revealing that over 20 lives have been lost in just one week.
“On April 2 alone, they killed over 10 people. We are grateful to the Nigerian military and police for responding to distress calls, which prevented even more casualties. We now call on NEMA, SEMA, and the Nigerian Red Cross to urgently send relief to the displaced and wounded,” he said.
The Plateau State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Hon Joyce Ramnap, strongly condemned the killings, urging residents to remain peaceful while security forces continue their operations.
“I am calling for calm and restraint. Our citizens must stay vigilant but peaceful. We appreciate the efforts of the security agencies and urge them to track down those behind this wicked act. Our hearts are with the families of the victims,” she said in a telephone interview.
The fresh round of attacks has escalated tensions in the area, leading to mass displacement as terrified villagers seek refuge in nearby communities.
Efforts to get official comments from the spokespersons of the state police command and Operation Safe Haven—DSP Alabo Alfred and Major Samson Zhakom—were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.