The gunmen on the prowl in parts of Plateau State struck again in Kassa community of Barkin-Ladi Local Government Area, killing three vigilantes, including a youth leader in the community.

A source in the community revealed that the gunmen, armed with sophisticated weapons, launched a deadly attack on the community at about 1:30 pm on Friday and killed three of the vigilantes who put up a resistance to ward off the attack.

According to the source, the gunmen, who were on a shooting spree throughout the operation, also killed the youth leader in the community, while some of the vigilantes and residents sustained fatal injuries.

Irked by the killings and other subsequent attacks, women and youths trooped out in large numbers on Friday to protest the rampant cases of killings in the local government.

The women blocked the highway in the area linking about five local governments in the state, thus causing a total gridlock that obstructed vehicular movement for more than three hours.

One of the protesters, Mrs Esther Pam, lamented the killings, saying residents were tired of losing their loved ones to attacks.

“We are tired of people being killed and security operatives would just sit and do nothing. We urge them to go after their attackers.”

Confirming the incident, spokesman of the Berom Youth Moulders-Association, BYM, Rwang Tengwong, described the killings as sad and disturbing.

Tengwong said the victims were killed while protecting their community, adding that their deaths had further heightened fear among residents.

He said the vigilantes had been contributing to the security of the community by keeping watch and responding to threats, stressing that their killings were a serious setback to local efforts to protect residents.

The BYM spokesman called on security agencies to intensify efforts to track down the attackers and bring them to justice, while urging authorities to take urgent steps to protect communities in Barkin-Ladi and other parts of Plateau State.

Efforts to get a reaction from security operatives before filing this report were unsuccessful. (Tribune)