Pastor Dauda Dalyop, a cleric with the Assemblies of God Church in Keall, has been reportedly killed by unknown gunmen in a fresh attack in Plateau State.
Plateau News learned that at least five individuals were killed in the attack, which occurred in Kimakpa, a village in the Kwall District of Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The incident was confirmed in a statement released to reporters on Wednesday by Sam Jugo, the National Publicity Secretary of the Irigwe Development Association (IDA). Jugo stated that the killings took place on Monday at around midnight.
He said: “We woke up this morning to another sad one. In the middle of the night of 2nd June, 2024, criminal invaders attacked and killed 5 of our residents in cold blood at Kimakpa.
“The criminal elements who came in their numbers with heavy weapons killed a pastor of Assemblies of God Church Keall, Pastor Dauda Dalyop.”
He mentioned others killed in the attack, including Mrs Chummy Dauda, 57; Chwe Ajuhs, 26; Joshua Kusa, 45; and Rikwe Doro, 43.
Jugo said: “Two persons were severely injured and are currently undergoing treatment at home. Troops of Operation Safe Haven were instantly mobilized to avert further genocide. There’s uneasy calm in Kwall District.
“This sad incident came just two days after some disgruntled elements ambushed some Rigwe youths on motorcycles while returning from the Gero mining site and killed instantly Mr Irmiya Musa Timbi and severely injured one other.
“We use this medium to further appeal for calm to enable the security agencies to carry out their investigations. We should upscale our vigilance, avoid night movements to distant destinations suppress the urge for reprisal or taking the law into our own hands and give the security agencies the benefit of the doubt. In as much as we are quite saddened by this condemnable incident, we cannot afford to aggravate the situation by seeking self help at this time.
“We call on the security agencies to do the needful by fishing out the culprits so that those affected will see justice being served as that’s the only way to restore the confidence of our people.”