Bandits kill seven in Plateau market assault

At least seven persons have been confirmed dead after bandits attacked a market in Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State.

It was learnt that the attack which happened at Zurak Compani Market on Sunday afternoon also left several others injured.

A youth leader in the community, Abdullahi Hussaini, who confirmed the incident on Monday, said the bandits arrived at the market around 2 pm and opened fire on the people transacting business which led to the death of the victims.

Hussaini said, “The gunmen arrived at the market in their numbers riding on motorcycles.

“They started shooting indiscriminately,  killing seven people instantly while many others got injured. The gunmen successfully launched the attack and fled without any resistance because people were not expecting any security threat at the moment.

“The bandits later fled to the bush but police personnel have been deployed to the community to restore law and other.

“But after the incident, we discovered that seven persons were shot dead by the bandits leaving several others injured.

“We are calling for more security deployment in the area because we don’t know what may happen anytime soon.”

When our correspondent contacted the spokesperson of the state police command, DSP Alabo Alfred, he said only four persons were killed during the incident, adding that an investigation was ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding the attack.

“We are aware of the Zurak Compani incident. Four persons died and six persons who were injured are receiving treatment. Meanwhile, we have deployed our men to the area while investigation continues”, the PPRO said.

Wase LGA, situated over 200 kilometres from Jos had suffered from banditry and kidnapping activities in the past but were curtailed by security operatives in the past year until the latest attack occurred on Sunday.

In January 2024, no fewer than 30 persons were killed in Plateau State in the early hours of the day by gunmen who attacked Kwahaslalek village, Mangu Local Government Area of the state.

It was gathered that the victims, who were mostly women and children, had run to the house of a community leader in the area on the previous night for safety following earlier unrest during the day in Mangu town when the gunmen surrounded them and killed all of them.