Two communities in Mangu and Bokkos Local Government Areas of Plateau State have come under attack by gunmen leading to the deaths of scores of people. The Transition Committee Chairman of Bokkos, Monday Kassah confirmed the incident saying, “There were series of attacks last (Thursday) night and these claimed six lives. The attackers are still very visible, they come two or three on motorcycles and are rampaging in Mandung, Butura, Chikam, and other communities around the State University, all communities are in the Butura District of Bokkos. Security agents are here and more deployments have been made. A student of the University was shot last night in his room outside the campus and another one was killed this morning.” The attack also left several persons injured with properties destroyed and homes set ablaze.
The Registrar of the University, Yakubu Ayuba while reacting to the development said, “The University Community woke up to the sad news of another heartless attack on Chikam, a community close to the University. The sad event led to the loss of a 200L Computer Science student of the University residing in Chikam, by the name Dading James Jordan.
“This is coming despite the relentless effort by the Plateau State government, security agencies, the Management of the University, and other stakeholders to improve the security situation on our Campus and the surrounding communities. Unfortunately, the enemies of the University and the State brought this dastardly attack leading to the loss of our dear student. The Vice-Chancellor and the entire Management convey their condolences to the family of the deceased, the student body, and the University community.
“In view of this sad development, Management has declared a two-day mourning period on Friday 19th and Saturday 20th April 2024. Accordingly, all the examinations earlier scheduled for Friday, 19th April, and Saturday 20th April 2024 are hereby suspended. While calling on our students to remain calm and law-abiding, we wish to call on the security agencies to beef up security around the University to secure staff and students as we look into other ways of making the University more secure.”
Meanwhile, the State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang has condemned the development and appealed for calm as security agencies are working to restore normalcy.
