Gunmen kill farmers while harvesting crops in Jos

Gunmen on Wednesday afternoon opened fire on farmers harvesting crops in Mbor community, Mushere Chiefdom, Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, killing three and injuring two others.

President of the Mushere Youth Movement, Kopmut Monday, confirmed the attack on Thursday, describing it as another tragedy that has thrown the community into mourning.

According to him, the assailants stormed the farmlands where the victims were working and began shooting indiscriminately.

“The attackers, who we believe came from Rongjing, invaded our community and opened fire on farmers harvesting their crops.

“Three people were killed, while two others sustained serious gunshot wounds and are currently in critical condition,” Monday said.

He recalled that the same community had suffered a deadly assault on May 26, when seven people were killed, several others injured, and two churches alongside many houses burnt.

“They had only just returned to rebuild their lives after that May attack, and now this has happened again,” he lamented, adding that the latest incident has forced many residents to flee the community.

The youth leader appealed to security agencies to deploy more personnel to the area to restore peace and allow residents to resume their normal lives.

Reacting to allegations that members of the Gan Allah Fulani Development Association (GAFDAN) were behind the assault, the group’s chairman in Bokkos, Saleh Adamu, denied any involvement.

“We don’t know what happened in the area. I have no information about the incident,” Adamu said.

Efforts to reach the spokesperson of Operation Enduring Peace, the joint security task force maintaining peace in Plateau State, were unsuccessful as calls and messages to his phone went unanswered.