Not less than 10 people have been confirmed killed and several others injured after heavily armed gunmen laid siege on Angwan Rukuba community in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State on Sunday.

 

 

According to eyewitnesses, the attack, which threw residents of the community into grief and total confusion, reportedly occurred at about 8pm when the gunmen numbering over 20, stormed Gari Yawaye, a suburb within the area, and began shooting sporadically, sending residents scampering for safety.

 

The incident was also said to have disrupted the calm and serenity of the community which is home to several staff and students of the University of Jos.

 

 

A resident of the area, who spoke to journalists narrated that the attackers who were dressed in the uniforms of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, after arriving on their motorcycles, moved through parts of the community during the operation, firing gunshots that left several people dead and others injured.

 

“The attackers were dressed in NDLEA uniforms. They even 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,” he said.

 

 

Continuing, the resident said:

 

“By the time they left, 10 people had been killed while several others were injured either by stray bullets or while trying to escape.

 

“The pathetic thing is that the army and other security operatives came almost one hour after the gunmen left,” he added.

 

Efforts to obtain the reactions of the state police spokesman, DSP Alfred Alabo, and the spokesperson of the Operation Enduring Peace, OPEP, Captain Nicholas Oteh, were unsuccessful, as calls to their phones went unanswered.