A tragic attack unfolded in Ruwi, a community in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, as gunmen launched an assault on mourners, leaving ten people dead.
The PUNCH reported that the victims had gathered at a bereaved family’s residence on Thursday night to pay their last respects when the assailants struck around 10 p.m.
Eyewitnesses reported that seven women were brutally clubbed to death with machetes, while three men also lost their lives in the onslaught. Additionally, two women sustained injuries.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of the Community Peace Observers in Bokkos, Mr. Kefas Mallai, revealed that security forces were alerted during the attack but arrived too late, as the perpetrators had already escaped.
Mallai detailed the sequence of events, saying, “Yes, it is true. It was around 10pm yesterday, March 27, 2025, at Ruwi community in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.
“The victims were mostly women. Seven women were clubbed to death with matchettes. Three men were killed, too, with two other women injured because many of them were women.”
He explained that the mourners were observing a local tradition that involves staying with a bereaved family for an extended period after a loved one’s passing.
“They came to mourn their loved one that died a natural death. So, they were just there as is our tradition which demands that they would gather at the deceased family house and many of them would sleep over till the next day and even three days especially relatives just to keep the deceased family company,” Mallai stated.
According to him, the attackers exploited this customary gathering to carry out the massacre.
“So that was the situation, and the enemy took advantage of that and came in the night and slaughtered the mourners around 10pm. I learnt the perpetrators were killer Fulani herders. When the attack was taking place, I learnt security men were called to the village, but before they could arrive at the place, the killers had finished their evil act and fled the scene,” he added.
Despite the tragedy, Mallai noted that there had been no retaliatory action from the community, and while Bokkos town remained calm, the affected village was in mourning.
“But as it is now, there is no any retaliation from the community and even the Bokkos town is calm but if you go to the affected community, that is where you will see crowd that has gathered, bemoaning the calamity that has befallen the people.”
“So at the moment, the community is currently in a state of shock and mourning, with many gathering at the affected community to bemoan the calamity,” he concluded.
Efforts to reach the Plateau State Police Command for a response proved unsuccessful, as the spokesperson, Alabo Alfred, was unreachable, with his phone switched off.
The attack occurred just days after the state police command organized a stakeholders’ meeting, where farmers and herders reportedly committed to maintaining peace in the region.
