Gunmen on Monday night stormed Georo community in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, killing seven persons in an attack that threw residents into panic.
The attackers, who invaded the community at about 10:20pm, reportedly opened fire sporadically, killing some persons in their shops and others at a local restaurant.
Bot Silas, a member of the community who confirmed the incident, said, “The gunmen stormed the community at about 10:20pm and started shooting sporadically”.
“Some of the victims were killed in their shops, while others were attacked at a local restaurant where food was being prepared.
“Seven persons were killed in the attack, and the incident caused serious panic among residents of the community.”
The attackers came at night and started shooting, forcing residents to scamper for safety”.
Reacting to the incident, Rwang Tengwong, spokesman of the Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM) condemned the attack and described it as unacceptable.
Tengwong said, “The killing of innocent people in Georo is condemnable and must not be allowed to continue.
“I call on the relevant security agencies to intensify efforts to protect communities and apprehend those responsible for the attack.
“We call on the relevant security agencies to investigate the incident, bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure that residents can live and carry out their legitimate activities without fear”; he said.
When contacted, Alfred Alabo, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Plateau State Command confirmed that an incident had occurred in the community.
Alabo said the command was making arrangements to visit the area, adding that he could not confirm the casualty figure until he received a full briefing from the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the area.
He said the Commissioner of Police’s prompt response reflected the command’s continued efforts to ensure the safety of communities across the state.
The police spokesman assured residents that the command would pursue the attackers and ensure they were arrested and brought to book.
Nathaniel E. Gbaoron is the Plateau State correspondent for BusinessDay and a seasoned journalist with a decade of experience covering sub-national affairs across Taraba, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Benue, Plateau, and other states. He holds both National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) in Mass Communication from Fidel Polytechnic, Gboko. Over the years, he has participated in numerous media trainings and workshops spanning various areas of reporting, strengthening his expertise in economic and political reporting, community-level governance, development stories, and conflict-sensitive journalism. He is a member of Correspondent Chapel in Plateau state, a member of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), he is also a Rotarian and a member of Plateau Club 1921.
