Plateau: 9 Policemen killed in deadly ambushes in two months
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At least nine policemen have been killed in Plateau State, in five patrol targeted attacks since September 2019.
The attacks which appear to be a hunt for arms are believed to have been carried out by herdsmen.
On Saturday, November 2, 2019, an under 30year-old herdsman was killed in gun battle with a more alert patrol team, when he allegedly ambushed them in Barkin Ladi with one other.
A week earlier however, another patrol team attacked in Mangu was not so lucky.
Four men were killed and their weapons stolen in the October 25, 2019 attack that occurred at about midday.
Three police Sergeants had been killed in a similar attack in Bokkos on 8th October, 2019.
This was barely two weeks after the killing of another Sergeant and an Inspector on 21st September, 2019 in Barkin Ladi.
A week earlier, a Police attache with the Special Task Force was killed while escorting a bread supply van near Monguna village in Bokkos LGA.
In all of the attacks, weapons were stolen with no arrest made.
It was however just yesterday that two suspects including a medical worker were arrested in connection to the October 25 attack in Mangu.
Officials are however still to issue any statement as investigations are still on.
The seeming arms harvest is however feared to be in preparation to a planned attack in the State.
Since the start of winter, indiscriminate grazing, farmland destructions and widespread intimidations have been reported in many local communities.
At least one death has been recorded in Bokkos with many more injured or threatened on their farms by the herdsmen.
“This is a sign of a coming disaster,” said a survivor of one of the latest attacks in Bokkos, Mr. Joshua Mafulul.
Mafulul, 50, a community leader in Sangwak village was shot in his house days after he cautioned a straying herder in his farm.
No arrest has been made in connection to the attack on October 24, 2019.
