Gunmen attack Kuru community in Plateau state, kill 12, injure 5

By Kayode Shopekan

The Plateau State Commissioner of Police has ordered an immediate investigation into the killing of 12 indigenes of Kuru community and vowed to bring the perpetrators to book.

Unknown gunmen suspected to be herdsmen, laid siege on residents of Kuru community in Jos South Local Government Area in the State, killing 12 people and injuring five others.

The gunmen who stormed the community at about 9pm on Sunday, 13th of June, left residents scampering for safety as they shot sporadically into the air.

Police authorities have confirmed the incidents and have begun investigating the matter.

It was gathered that the unknown gunmen went into houses and shot residents. Those with injuries were rushed to a primary healthcare facility within the community only after the gunmen had left.

They said following the attack, the injured victims were taken to a primary healthcare facility within the community for medical attention.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Gabriel Ubah, the command received a report that 10 persons were shot dead.

Meanwhile, personnel of the command and the military have been deployed to the affected area.

Mr. Musa Bagos, the lawmaker representing Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, was among those who visited the community where residents narrated their ordeal in what is being seen as an unprovoked attack.

He condemned the attack, which he described as one too many, stressing the need to stop the trend to prevent the further killings of innocent people in villages in the state.

The Management Committee Chairman of Jos South LGA, Gideon Davou, who was also at the scene, appealed to the residents to allow the security agencies to carry out a proper investigation into the incident.

He also urged members of the community to remain calm and not resort to reprisals with an assurance that the state government would ensure that the perpetrators of the heinous crime were apprehended and brought to justice.

Plateau state is currently witnessing a high level of insecurity as bandits and herdsmen attacks have risen within the last few months. Recall that the governor of the state was recently attacked and he narrowly escaped being killed. Also, the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps within the state had recently been attacked as well.