Three family members, including an unborn baby, were killed when gunmen suspected to be herdsmen attacked Wumat, a Christian community in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, which has a small population of around 500 residents.
The incident occurred on Monday, October 7, 2024, just two days before the local government elections.
The mother of the unborn child sustained a bullet wound to her stomach but survived, while the baby died in the womb.
Farmasum Fuddang, Chairman of the Bokkos Community Development Council (BCDC) Vanguard, stated that the attack followed a week of warnings about an increased risk of violence in the area due to the movement of individuals suspected to be terrorists crossing from the borders of Plateau and Nasarawa states.
He expressed concern that the timing of the attack, coinciding with the local elections, appeared to be a deliberate attempt to intimidate the community and suppress their electoral participation.
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Vanguard said: “Under the cover of night, as families in Wumat were settling in for the evening, armed assailants speaking the Fulani dialect infiltrated the town through nearby cornfields. At 8:49 p:m, they launched a terrifying assault, breaking into homes and firing indiscriminately for several minutes.
“By the time help arrived, three members of a single family were found d@ad: Mr. Istifanus Mallo (the father), Mr. Innocent Istifanus Mallo (the son), and Lois Istifanus Mallo (the daughter). Additionally, four others sustained serious injuries, including a heavily pregnant woman who was shot in the abdomen. Miraculously, she survived, but her unborn child did not make it.
“This attack in Wumat, situated in the Tarangol district, came on the heels of unfounded accusations from Fulani leaders who alleged that our community members forcibly evicted their members in Tarangol.
“We hereby call for the investigation of some community leaders, who signed a defamatory letter dated August 23, 2024, addressed to the Commissioner of Police, Plateau State. We have consistently countered their baseless claims through formal petitions and media releases.
“These allegations were made during a period when we were mourning the loss of over 30 community members due to similar armed assaults by Fulani militants in Butura, Daffo, Mbar, and surrounding districts.
“Moreover, the Fulani have been grazing their livestock on our farms and occupying our lands without permission, creating a hostile environment for local landowners. Despite our community’s restraint in the face of such provocations, we continue to be unjustly accused in a pattern that appears designed to justify further violence.
“We demand the arrest and investigation of the aforementioned individuals for their potential complicity in this recent attack, which coincided with the local government elections. Residents reported that followers of these Fulani leaders, issued open threats prior to the attack, which further justifies our position. These individuals should as a matter of fact be held responsible for any future attacks in the area.
“As we write this, we are working in the background to appeal to our women to withdraw their planned protests in the interest of peace and development, especially the ongoing elections. We demand that our efforts should be complemented with the arrest of these suspects whose clear goal is to takeover and dominate our lands.”
