The Plateau Police Command on Sunday confirmed six persons dead and five others injured in a Saturday night attack on Taagbe, a village in Bassa Local Government Area.
Its Public Relations Officer, Terna Tyopev, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos that the attackers, who invaded the village at 12 midnight, also burnt down 10 houses.
He said that those injured had been taken to various hospitals in Jos.
Tthe killings took place a day after Gov. Simon Lalong imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on the local government, as part of measures to curtail the attacks on the villagers.
Lalong had said that the action became necessary “in view of recurring incidences of attacks in the area”
Mr Udie Adie, the Commissioner of Police in Plateau, on Sunday visited Taegbe, a village in Bassa Local Government, which was invaded by gunmen Saturday night.
The attackers, who invaded the village at midnight, killed six persons and injured scores of others.
The attackers also burnt down many houses. NAN counted 10 houses totally destroyed.
Among those killed were five adults and a teenager.
An eye witness, Mr Sunday Yari, told newsmen, who visited the scene, that the attack took place in the early hours of Sunday.
“The attackers came with sophisticated weapons and moved from one house to another, unleashing mayhem on the locals.
“They razed down a lot of houses and destroyed properties worth millions of naira,” he said.
Yari wondered why the attacks were being casually carried out in spite of the dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed 0n the local government by the Plateau government.
“It took the grace of God for me to escape. From my hideout, I watched them killing my aged father and two younger ones. I couldn’t act because I was not armed,” he said.
Adie, who spoke with newsmen at the scene of the attack, described it “very unfortunate”.
“We shall deploy officers and men to fish out the perpetrators and bring them to book.
“We shall also identify critical stakeholders within the area and work with them toward ending these attacks. We must find a way to end these incessant attacks on the locals.
“For now, we shall keep our officers and men on ground to protect the area; we shall try to ensure that no one takes the law into his hands,” he said.
Those killed had been buried while the injured were taken to Inos Hospital, Miango in Bassa Local Government.
