Plateau Community Leader Alleges Gunmen Used Drones Before Deadly Attack

(Gunmen. Photo Credit: NewsExpress)

A community leader in Wereng-Camp, Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, Mr. Cholom Dung, has alleged that the gunmen responsible for k!lling nine members of a single family during Saturday night's att@ck used drones to monitor the community before carrying out the assault.

Speaking with journalists, Dung said residents were still in mourning following the att@ck, which continued into the early hours of Sunday.

He claimed the assailants had conducted aerial surveillance of the community beforehand, which made it difficult for residents to flee.

"They used drones to monitor the community before carrying out the attack. They knew where people were and how to operate.

That is why we are appealing to the government to strengthen security in our communities," he said.

The victims of the att@ck, all from the same family, were identified as Celina James, 38; Yohanna James, 21; Janet Yohanna, 18; Jennifer Yohanna, a three-month-old infant; Sele James, 18; Melody James, 16; Reto James, 10; Endurance James, 8; and Peace James, 3.

Dung cautioned that without urgent security intervention, more residents may be compelled to abandon their ancestral homes, a pattern already seen in other communities across Plateau State that have suffered repeated att@cks.

"We do not want this community to become deserted like many others. People want to remain on their ancestral land, but they can only do so if they are safe," he added.

A survivor, Mrs. Kachalom Pam, described how she fled into the bush with her children as the gunmen invaded the community.

She said she and her children escaped without injury, but her husband was shot and is currently receiving treatment.

Meanwhile, the Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM) condemned the att@ck, calling it yet another painful reminder of the ongoing violence plaguing Plateau State and other parts of North-Central Nigeria.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Rwang Tengwong, the group said the incident highlighted the pressing need for stronger protective measures for vulnerable communities and accountability for perpetrators.

The association appealed to the Federal Government to step up efforts toward dismantling criminal hideouts, arresting and prosecuting those behind such att@cks, and extending humanitarian support to victims and displaced persons.

It also called on the international community including the United Nations, the African Union, ECOWAS, the European Union, the United States, and international human rights bodies to give greater attention to the deteriorating security and humanitarian conditions in North-Central Nigeria.

As of the time of filing this report, efforts to obtain a response from the spokesman of the Plateau State Police Command, DSP Alfred Alabo, had not yielded any results.