No fewer than 19 persons were feared killed and several others injured when gunmen attacked Kawel village in Mushere District of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State late Sunday night.

Residents said the attackers stormed the community while people were sleeping, spraying gunfire and sending villagers fleeing for safety.

Malo Bitrus, a resident, told that the gunmen invaded the village at about 11:40 p.m shooting sporadically as they moved through the community.

He said more than 19 people were killed in the attack and several others were injured.

Bokkos Youth Leader, Christopher Luka, confirmed the incident and said the assailants stormed the community and shot at the residents.

He said word of the attack reached youth leaders in the area a little after midnight.

“A youth leader called around 12 a.m. and said that gunmen attacked the community and shot several persons. “19 deaths so far have been confirmed,” said Luka.

“Immediately after getting the distress report, I alerted security personnel that are posted in Bokkos, and they responded to the distress call.

“I spoke to security personnel and they said they had received information about the incident and were moving to the community where the incident occurred,” he added.

Luka described the attack as unprovoked and called on security agencies to increase efforts to prevent further violence and provide greater protection to vulnerable communities in the region.

This latest incident comes barely five days after the killing of the District Head of Gwande in Bokkos Local Government Area, Saf Samuel Alaket.

It was reported that Alaket was attacked and killed along the Sha District axis bordering Daffo community on his way back from a traditional council meeting.

The renewed violence has increased fears over security in Bokkos and neighbouring communities which have witnessed a string of attacks in recent months.

Efforts to get official confirmation from the spokesman of the Plateau State Police Command and the spokesman of Operation Safe Haven were unsuccessful as at the time of filing this report.

Calls and messages to SP Alfred Alabo, Police Public Relations Officer of the Plateau State Police Command and Captain Polycarp Oteh, spokesman of Operation Safe Haven, were not responded to.