No fewer than 20 persons have been killed in two communities of Fungzai and neighbouring Kubat in the newly created district of Bwai in the Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State in North Central Nigeria.
According to sources in the communities, the invaders attacked Kubat on Tuesday morning setting houses on fire. The marauders also attacked fleeing members with dangerous weapons leading to the death of some residents while others were injured.
Members of neighbouring Fungzai community, who saw the burning Kubat village, mobilised women and children to move out of the community in other to escape the wrath of the attackers who have started advancing to the community after the attack on Kubat.
However, the escapees in vehicles and motorcycles ran into an ambush by the advancing attackers, killing about 20 people, mostly children and women.
The sources added that corpses were still been recovered from the bush in the affected communities which has made ascertaining the number of deaths difficult.
As means of curbing reprisal and escalation of the situation, a 24-hour curfew has been imposed on the local government area.
In a statement signed by Mangu Local Government Chairman, Minister Daput, the stay at home order was agreed on after consultation with security heads as means of restoring law and order in the affected communities as well as avoid the situation from getting out of hand considering the numbers of casualty involved in the attack.
Public Relations Officer, Plateau State Police Command, DSP Alfred Alabo stated that the command has deployed additional troops to the communities while investigation into the attacks were ongoing.
In the meantime, Governor Simon Lalong, in a statement through his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Simon Makut condemned the unprovoked attack, describing it as yet another attempt by crises merchants and criminals to return the state to dark days of agony.
He vowed that the government will stop at nothing to ensure that those behind the heinous crime are not spared.