It was another day of wailing in Plateau State, yesterday, as a family of three was wiped out by gunmen, who stormed their abode at Wereng, Riyom Local Government Area, Tuesday night.
The assailants, who the villagers said were about 15, reportedly entered the village from the nearby hills at 11pm when the villagers were asleep, shot and killed a 37-year-old man, identified as Philip Francis, his wife, Simi and their toddler, Nerat, a girl, inside their bedroom.
Eyewitness account
A 64 year-old woman, Mary Pam, escaped by the whiskers through the window of her room. She told journalists, yesterday, that the casualty would have been more if the villagers had ran out of their houses as envisaged by the attackers.
According to her, the assailants fired several gunshots into the air to scare the villagers out of their homes into the waiting hands of members of the gang, who had positioned themselves at strategic points. She said the villagers, learning from past experience, remained indoors.
She said the attackers escaped into the hills when they realised that the villagers were mobilising to confront them.
Gov Jang's aide reacts
Meanwhile, Special Adviser to Governor Jonah Jang on Media Affairs, Mr. Ayuba Pam, has condemned the attack, describing it as worrisome despite various efforts of government to restore peace in the state.
He urged the Special Task Force, STF, maintaining security in the state and the police to deploy more men to the area to protect the people who he said had no means of protecting themselves.
He sympathised with the villagers and advised individuals and communities to be security-conscious and report suspicious persons or movements to security agencies.
Vanguard