A wake-keeping in Ruwi, Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, turned deadly as armed assailants launched a brutal attack on mourners leaving ten people dead, most of them women.
Eyewitnesses reported that the attackers, armed with machetes, targeted the mourners after they had gathered at the home of a deceased family.
Of the deceased mourners, seven were women while the three others were men, however, two other women sustained injuries during the attack.
A Community leader, Kefas Mallai, who confirmed the tragic incident, expressed deep anguish over the loss of lives during the attack in the state.
He lamented that the assailants took advantage of the mourners’ defenselessness and that despite notifying security forces, they were unable to respond in time to prevent the killings.
The assault occurred on Thursday night, taking place just days after security agencies facilitated peace talks between farmers and herders in the region. With this fresh violence, concerns are growing over the stability of the fragile peace.
Authorities have yet to release an official statement regarding the attack, while the grieving community remains in shock, struggling to come to terms with the devastating attack.
