GUNMEN INVADE MWAR, VILLAGE OF CHAKFEM DISTRICT IN MANGU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, PLATEAU STATE

In the early hours of Sunday 5th August, 2018, the sleeping community of Mwar in Manden Village of Chakfem Ward, Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State woke up to multiple sounds of gunshots around 2:00am by gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen.

The gunmen who gathered around the community’s Primary School by COCIN Church II, rang the church’s bell continuously in a pattern that would normally alert the community of eminent danger to rush out and get killed, failed to get the anticipated reaction, which would have been for people to assemble centrally at the church due to the sparsely built settlement pattern in the area, when villagers became apprehensive after loud chants of “Allahu Akbar” followed the sound of the bell.

Realizing that their community may be under siege, the villagers left their homes and hid in the bushes for safety and to attempt to comprehend the situation, as visibility in the night was difficult due to the foggy weather in the mountainous terrain of Chakfem.

After about 15minutes of waiting in vain for the villagers to assemble, the invaders began shooting sporadically in the air causing pandemonium in the area and other nearby villages.

On their way out of the village, the invaders stopped by another Church and knocked on the Pastor’s door who could not respond as he had earlier also scampered into safety. Disappointed, they continued shooting and chanting “Allahu kabar”as they left.

Even though no life was lost, Community Leaders in Chakfem are calling on government to come to their aid by deploying armed security personnel to the village as they don’t know what next the invaders would do in the coming days and weeks.

It would be recalled that villages were sacked in Mangu Local Government Area especially around Mangun which adjoins Chakfem by Fulani herdsmen in the weekend of terror in June, which left hundreds dead, properties destroyed, and communities forcefully occupied.

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GUNMEN INVADE MWAR, VILLAGE OF CHAKFEM DISTRICT IN MANGU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, PLATEAU STATE