By Seriki Adinoyi
Gunmen again struck on Tuesday night killing no fewer than four persons in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, while six others were left with various degrees of injuries, even as several houses were burnt.
The past two weeks have been horrendous ones for the Irigwe chiefdom in the Bassa axis of the state where gunmen have continued to attack the people and killing them in droves.
The recent one occurred in Gbra-Zongo village where the gunmen invaded the village and shot indiscriminately into the air to announce their arrival, and as the people attempted to escape from their houses, four were gunned down, while six others spiritedly escaped into the nearby bush with bullet wounds.
Lamenting the attack, the Chairman, Maingo Youth Development Association, Mr. Nuhu Nkali, said the mode of the attack was not different from the previous ones, adding that it was carried out without any resistance from the armless community or security men.
“In this attack, four persons were killed including a clergyman, Pastor Mathew Tagwai, and a 10-year-old boy. The attack started at about 7:56 pm to the early hours of Wednesday. The gunmen had a field day because there were no security men on ground to repel them. The soldiers in the community were withdrawn about one month ago after two of their men were killed.
“The names of the persons killed are Pastor Mathew Tagwai, 34 years; Mr. Did Sunday, 21 years; Mr. Duh Abba, 38 years; and Ishaku Abba, 10 years.
A resident of the village, Mr. Chayi Biri, who also confirmed the attack, said he narrowly escaped. “The gunmen were in black attires. They came close to my room but God helped me to escape narrowly.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Gabriel Ubah Ogaba, who also confirmed the killings, however, said that the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Isaac Akinmoyede, has directed the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of operations to address the security challenge in the affected community.
Ogaba said: “Four were killed at the village. The Commissioner of Police has directed the Assistant Commissioner in charge of Operation to deploy more men to Bassa in order to make the place calm and effect arrest.
“The Command is investigating the case and we solicit for useful information from the community to make arrest.”
