5 killed, houses burnt as gunmen attack Plateau community

JOS — Five people were yesterday killed and several houses burnt at Kuka village in Shendam Local government Area of Plateau State when armed men attacked the village.

The gunmen, said to have numbered over 100, stormed the village, which is about 300 kilometres from the state capital and shares boundary with Taraba State, after midnight.

An eyewitness said the attackers who were armed with sophisticated weapons torched houses and shot sporadically as they moved, killing the five and injuring others.

The eyewitness said they ran out of their houses to seek refuge as Policemen in the village could not match the fire power of the assailants who outnumbered them.

He added that the prompt arrival of military men from TarabaState saved the situation from getting worse

Media Officer of the Special Task Force maintaining security in the state, Captain Salisu Mustapha, who confirmed the attack said there were only two deaths, adding that the attackers had been successfully repelled and normalcy restored to the village.

A similar attack was launched in the area last week resulting in the loss of lives.