Gunmen on Tuesday night killed five people in Bassa Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau State just as another five people were killed during a communal clash in Cross River State.
The killing is coming barely one week after bandits attacked commuters in Jos North LGA of Plateau State, killing not less than 25 people and leaving several other injured.
National President of the Irigwe Development Association, Ezekiel Bini, who confirmed the killings in Jos on Wednesday said they died when gunmen attacked Chando-Zrrechi (Tafi-Gana) village on Tuesday night.
Irigwe has been the epicentre of attacks by killer herdsmen who had unleashed killings, destruction of houses, vehicles and other properties in recent weeks.
It was a reprisal attack for the continued carnage in the area that led to reprisal killing of the Fulani travelers in Jos last week. A source said that the killing of the five people in Irigwe is part of the reprisal attack for the Jos killings.
The Irigwe leader, Bini, said: “Yes, the killing of the five persons is true and we are on our way to meet the Governor over the continued killings in our communities in Bassa.
“They were in their homes when the gunmen came and killed them despite the curfew imposed by the state government.
“Their corpses have just been deposited at the mortuary. Aside the five people that were killed last night, four other villagers were also captured on Sunday and since then, we have not seen them.”
And in Cross River State, the Cross River State Police Commissioner, Alhassan Aminu, has confirmed the killing of five people following the sporadic shooting in two communities in Yala LGA of the State.
Also, houses have been set ablaze in the area. One of the houses belonged to Gabe Onah, a former chairman of Cross River State Carnival Commission.
The shooting in O’Oba and Itega Okpame is said to have lasted all through Tuesday night and is ongoing still.
But the State Police boss, Aminu, said that his personnel has been deployed to the area.
According to him, “some miscreants from O’Oba invaded the other community and began to shoot. I am fully aware. I have sent my men into those places.”
