Soldier, 12 others killed in fresh Plateau attack

Soldier, 12 others killed in fresh Plateau attack

No fewer than 13 people, one of them a soldier, were killed when gunmen, suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, attacked Lwa, Dum, Rachit and Dyang villages of Bachit district in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Two soldiers were also said to be missing in the attack, which was carried out at about 2am on Friday.
Our correspondent gathered that tension had built up in Riyom following a rumour that gunmen were planning an attack on Jol.
The villagers were said to have a vigilance group to ward off any attack.
The early morning attack was said to have taken the villagers by surprise as it occurred when they were fast asleep
A source in the village, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “Since last week, the terrorists have been pressing hard to attack Jol, a nearby village, but when they couldn’t, they decided to launch a suprise attack on these villages at the same time today.”
Spokesman for the Special Task Force, Capt. Ikedichi Iweha, who confirmed the attack, said solders were still conducting a mop-up operation.
He however confirmed that a soldier was among the dead.
“We are still carrying out a mop-up operation and have not been able to establish the casualty figure,” he said.
Meanwhile Iweha said the task force had apprehended 82 suspects mostly of Cameroonians, Nigeriens and Chadians within Rikkos community in Jos North LGA of Plateau State.