22 Killed, Several Injured In Fresh Midnight Assault On Bokkos Village By Armed Assailants

June 22 () — At least 22 people have been killed and several others injured following a deadly midnight attack on the Kawel community in Mushere District of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The attack, carried out by yet-to-be-identified armed assailants, reportedly occurred around 11:40 p.m. on Sunday when residents were asleep. Witnesses said the gunmen stormed the agrarian community, shooting sporadically and forcing residents to flee into the surrounding bushes for safety.

A resident of Bokkos, Malo Bitrus, said the attackers operated with impunity, leaving behind a trail of death and destruction before escaping.

Another community leader, Christopher Luka, said the attackers invaded without warning and opened fire on sleeping residents. He added that information about the attack reached youth leaders shortly after midnight, prompting immediate alerts to security operatives stationed in the area.

Luka described the incident as unprovoked and called for urgent reinforcement of security deployment in vulnerable communities across Bokkos and adjoining districts.

Confirming the attack, the Chairman of Bokkos Local Government Area, Samuel Amalau, said the assailants also stormed a Primary Health Care Centre in the community, where some victims were killed.

He said authorities were still working to establish the full scale of casualties and damage, noting that emergency response efforts had been activated in collaboration with security agencies.

In a statement, the Plateau State Government condemned the attack, describing it as “heinous and unacceptable”.

The statement, signed by the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Rt. Hon. Joyce Lohya Ramnap, said Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang has directed security agencies to intensify operations in the affected area, apprehend the perpetrators, and ensure they are brought to justice without delay.

The government also ordered emergency and humanitarian agencies to provide immediate relief and medical assistance to victims and affected families.

Reaffirming its commitment to restoring peace, the state government said criminal elements would not be allowed to destabilise communities or derail ongoing efforts toward sustainable peace and development in Plateau State.

It urged residents to remain calm and vigilant, while encouraging cooperation with security agencies through timely and credible information. The government also warned against any form of reprisal attacks, insisting that justice would be pursued through lawful and constitutional channels.

The latest violence has further heightened tension in Mushere District, coming less than five days after the killing of the District Head of Gwande in Bokkos LGA, Saf Samuel Alaket, who was reportedly attacked while returning from a traditional council meeting along the Sha District axis.

Security operatives have since been deployed to the Kawel community and surrounding areas, while search operations and casualty verification are ongoing as authorities work to restore calm.

Meanwhile, efforts to obtain official reaction from the Plateau State Police Command spokesperson, SP Alfred Alabo, and the spokesman of Operation Safe Haven, Captain Polycarp Oteh, were unsuccessful as of press time.