6th October, 2020
By Polycarp Auta/Riyom Plateau state
Unidentified gunmen have killed Mr Chungyang Mwadkon, the acting Village Head of Wereng community in Riyom Local Government area of Plateau.
The assassins, who invaded the community at about 9 pm. on Monday, also killed five other persons and injured many.
It was the second major killing in the state in less than one month.
On 21 September, Bulus Janka, a traditional ruler in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau state was also assassinated.
A survivor of the latest attack, Kim Francis, 32, told NAN that the attackers were initially mistaken for members of the neighborhood watch.
Francis sustained gun wounds.
“We first thought they were members of the vigilante group because they were wearing boots and security kits, just like the community police, until they started shooting at us sporadically.
“They kept shooting and picking the used bullet shells as they moved,” he said.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the state police command, ASP Ubah Ogaba, confirmed the incident, adding that the command had deployed armed personnel to the community.
“It is true that some yet-to-be-identified gunmen invaded Wereng community, killing six persons and leaving others with various degrees of injuries.
“We have deployed our personnel to the area to avert any further incident.
“The area is now calm and we urge residents of the community to be law-abiding,” he said.
Ogaba, who said that no arrest had been made yet, however, promised that the command would bring the perpetrators of the dastardly act to book.
The PPRO called on members of the public to avail the police of useful information that could aid the arrest of the criminals.