No fewer than seven persons have been killed following a deadly attack on a mining site in the Kuru community, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.
It was reported that the attack occurred on Wednesday night, leaving several other persons injured and throwing the mining community into mourning.
The Senior Special Assistant to Governor Caleb Mutfwang on Artisanal Mining, Emmanuel Solomon, confirmed the incident to journalists in Jos on Thursday.
“I have just been informed about the attack in the Kuru community which happened yesterday night. Seven people died in the attack. I’m about to go to the community to see things by myself,” Solomon said.
He described the incident as “rather unfortunate,” noting that it was the latest in a series of violent attacks targeting miners in the local government area.
Solomon disclosed that just days earlier, gunmen had attacked another group of miners in Gyel community, also in Jos South.
“Just before yesterday, in another community in Gyel, they attacked three people, but one of them escaped. Unfortunately, two died. The victims were on their way to a mining site when they were ambushed and killed,” he explained.
He added that about two weeks ago, another group of miners was ambushed, resulting in the death of two persons and injuries to one.
“The one injured is currently at Lome Hospital receiving treatment, and the one who died is my younger brother. It’s unfortunate that some people are just moving about killing innocent people in the state,” Solomon said, speaking with visible grief.
The governor’s aide stressed that the spate of attacks required urgent government intervention, assuring that the state would take steps to address the worsening insecurity.
“This situation requires urgent attention, and the state government will look into the matter so that miners can have security back-up going forward,” he said.
When contacted, the Jos South Area Commander of the Nigerian Forest Security Service, Pam Gyang Pwajok, said he was not aware of the incident.
“Let me find out what happened. I will get back to you,” he said.
However, the Plateau State command of the Nigeria Police Force has yet to issue any official statement on the latest event as of the time of filing this report.