Bandits raided our village, killed 12 in one day – Plateau community leader

Plateau map

A community leader in Plateau State, Simon Takbang, has narrated how bandits attacked his community in Chakfem Chiefdom, Mangu Local Government Area, killing 12 people and displacing thousands on Monday.

Takbang, who addressed a press conference in Jos on Friday, disclosed that the bandits, numbering over 1,000, descended on several communities in the chiefdom, including Manden, Tim, Mhidihin, Jibin, Jiblang, Koppang, and Jilem.

“They set houses ablaze, destroyed properties, rustled animals, and killed 12 people, including women and children,” Takbang said.

The leader of the Chakfem Youth Movement listed the names of the victims, including a four-month-old girl, Yilshwal Godwin, and some elderly people and children.

He identified some of them as Mrs Rifkatu Katde (80), Talatu Joel (53), Tapmwan Benard (29), and Messrs Danlami Kyenba (50), Maichibi Sonyen (81), MrIshaku Yohana (26), and Joel Longpwen (62).

“The victims are now recorded in history as martyrs of Chakfem Chiefdom,” Takbang said.

The community leader demanded that the government take immediate action to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

“These attacks are not spontaneous, but well-planned, premeditated, and strategically executed with the sole agenda of dispossessing our people of their ancestral lands, rendering us homeless, hopeless, and altering the demographic structure of our homeland.

“While these activities of the disgruntled elements leave indelible scars in our hearts, we acknowledge the swift response from Government in deploying security agencies to the affected areas, which helped in halting the attack. We also note the provision of relief materials to alleviate our pains. This proves to us that we are not abandoned.

“We call on the government to deploy security personnel permanently in our communities and provide support for rebuilding our destroyed villages,” Takbang said.