Bokkos, Plateau State – At least 14 people, including women and infants, were brutally killed on Tuesday evening when a commercial vehicle returning from the popular Bokkos market was ambushed by suspected Fulani bandits along the Bokkos–Daffo road in Plateau State.
Local sources report that the attackers, believed to be heavily armed, laid in wait along the bushy stretch of the rural highway, opening fire on unsuspecting passengers as the vehicle approached. Among the victims were nursing mothers and babies, some of whom were burned beyond recognition when the vehicle was set ablaze.
The incident occurred at approximately 6:30 PM, shortly after traders and buyers had begun departing the market. Witnesses say the bandits ransacked the vehicle, looting goods and valuables before carrying out the attack.
Plateau State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Alfred Alabo, confirmed the incident in a brief statement, noting that security personnel had been deployed to the area. He assured that investigations are ongoing and that efforts are underway to apprehend the perpetrators.
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“This is yet another tragic and senseless attack on innocent citizens,” said community leader and former Bokkos LGA chairman, Hon. Lami Dantong. “We are tired of burying our loved ones. The government must rise beyond condolences and take decisive action.”
The killings have sparked renewed fear and outrage across Plateau, a state long plagued by sporadic violence between farming communities and armed herders. Civil society organizations and local leaders have called for increased security presence along rural routes and at major community gatherings, especially markets.
As of press time, a mass burial is being planned for the victims in Bokkos town, while survivors and relatives of the deceased are calling for justice and better protection of their communities.
This latest incident adds to the growing concerns about rural insecurity in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where similar attacks have led to large-scale displacement and worsening humanitarian conditions.
