Plateau residents lament as serial attacks kill 19, farmlands abandoned
Residents of Plateau State say their communities are turning into wastelands as renewed attacks by gunmen leave more people dead and drive farmers off their lands. At least 19 people were recently killed in coordinated night raids on Manja community in Chakfem kingdom of Mangu Local Government Area and Tangur community in Bokkos Local Government Area. Witnesses said the attackers arrived around 8 pm, shooting into homes and forcing residents to flee into the bush, with many women and children among the dead. Local leaders and community groups say repeated assaults over the years have forced many residents to abandon farmlands, turning once fertile areas into empty fields and bush paths. They lament that crops have been destroyed, harvested produce looted or burnt, and that fear now keeps many farmers from returning to their villages. Community representatives argue that the […]