A lethal assault on a mining website in Kuru neighborhood, Jos South Native Authorities Space of Plateau State, has claimed the lives of seven individuals.
The assault, which occurred on Wednesday night time, additionally left a number of others injured.
The Senior Particular Assistant to Governor Caleb Mutfwang on Artisanal Mining, Emmanuel Solomon, confirmed the incident on Thursday.
“I’ve simply been knowledgeable concerning the assault within the Kuru neighborhood which occurred final night time. Seven individuals died within the assault. I’m about to go to the neighborhood to see issues on my own,” Solomon mentioned.
Describing the incident as “reasonably unlucky,” Solomon famous that it was a part of a sequence of current assaults focusing on miners within the native authorities space.
“Simply earlier than yesterday, in one other neighborhood in Gyel, they attacked three individuals, however considered one of them escaped. Sadly, two died. The victims had been on their strategy to a mining website after they had been ambushed and killed,” he defined.
He additional disclosed that about two weeks earlier, gunmen ambushed one other group of miners, killing two individuals and injuring one.
“The one injured is at the moment at Lome Hospital receiving remedy, and the one who died is my youthful brother. It’s unlucky that some persons are simply shifting about killing harmless individuals within the state,” Solomon mentioned.
He harassed that the state of affairs “requires pressing consideration” and warranted that the Plateau State Authorities would “look into the matter in order that miners can have safety back-up going ahead.”
When contacted, the Jos South Space Commander of the Nigerian Forest Safety Service, Pam Gyang Pwajok, mentioned he was not but conscious of the incident however will get again to to newsmen.
The most recent assault provides to rising issues over the protection of artisanal miners in Plateau State, amid rising violence in mining communities throughout Jos South and different components of the state.