Gunmen kill four in security convoy ambush in Plateau

Four people, including a security operative, were killed when gunmen ambushed a security team responding to a distress call in Rakok, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, on Tuesday.

The president of the Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM), Dalyop Mwantiri, said he was travelling with the security team’s convoy when the incident occurred.

Mr Mwantiri confirmed the incident in a statement shared on social media on Tuesday night, saying the attackers ambushed the team along the Gagshi Road while it was responding to a distress call.

He said he escaped the attack by what he described as divine intervention.

“I would have also been involved in that incident if not that God, out of His mercy, saved me,” Mr Mwantiri said.

Three civilians killed

A resident of Rakok, Lawrence Gyang, also confirmed the attack, saying three civilians were killed.

According to Mr Gyang, the victims included a man and two women who were travelling to attend the funeral of two people killed the previous day while travelling to Gashish District.

An operative of Operation Rainbow, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly, said the security team came under attack at about 4 p.m.

“We experienced an ambush at about 4 p.m. in which a security personnel attached to Operation Rainbow was killed,” the operative said.

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Daylight attack

Mr Mwantiri said the attackers were no longer restricting their activities to the night.

“The insecurity situation is now taking a bigger dimension as the attacks are no longer confined to the night. They are now occurring in broad daylight,” he said.

He urged security agencies and other authorities to intensify efforts to protect residents and restore peace in affected communities.

The latest attack comes amid heightened security concerns in parts of Plateau State, including Barkin Ladi, Mangu and Bokkos local government areas, where authorities have imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew.

The circumstances surrounding the attack, including the identity of the attackers and whether any arrests have been made, were not immediately clear.