No fewer than 10 people were confirmed dead and several others injured after heavily armed gunmen invaded Angwan Rukuba community in Jos North Local Government Area on Sunday evening.
Eyewitnesses reported that the attack occurred around 8pm when over 20 assailants on motorcycles stormed Gari Yawaye, a suburb in the area, and opened sporadic fire, throwing residents into panic and confusion. The community, which houses many staff and students of the University of Jos, was thrown into grief as the shooting disrupted its usual calm.
A resident who spoke to newsmen described how the attackers, dressed in National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) uniforms, moved through parts of the community firing gunshots. According to him, they even bought items from a local trader before suddenly opening fire inside the shop.
“The attackers were dressed in NDLEA uniforms. They bought some items from a trader before opening fire from within the shop. The shop owner was lucky to have escaped. Four others weren’t lucky,” the resident narrated.
He added that by the time the gunmen fled the scene, at least 10 people had been killed while several others sustained injuries from stray bullets or while attempting to escape.
“The pathetic thing is that the army and other security operatives arrived almost one hour after the gunmen had left,” he lamented.
Efforts to get official reactions from the Plateau State Police Command spokesman, DSP Alfred Alabo, and the spokesperson of Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP), Captain Nicholas Oteh, proved unsuccessful as calls to their lines went unanswered.
