A deadly gunmen attack on Kawel village in the Mushere District of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State has claimed at least 22 lives, including health workers and security personnel, as a wave of insecurity continued to batter multiple states across Nigeria.
The late Sunday night assault saw armed assailants storm the community, shooting indiscriminately and targeting the Primary Health Care Centre, where medical workers on duty and patients receiving treatment were among those killed. Several others sustained gunshot and machete wounds and were evacuated for medical attention.
Bokkos Youth Leader Christopher Luka confirmed the rising toll after visiting the hospital. “So far, 22 deaths have been recorded, including women. The victims included health workers serving at the hospital and some patients who were receiving treatment,” he said.
The Plateau State Police Command initially confirmed 20 deaths, stating that Commissioner of Police Bassey Ewah ordered immediate deployment of personnel who engaged the attackers in a gun battle, forcing them to retreat. The command subsequently deployed additional tactical teams and Police Mobile Force personnel to the area, while the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations and the Area Commander, Pankshin, were directed to temporarily relocate to the community.
The state government condemned the attack as “heinous and senseless,” with Governor Caleb Mutfwang ordering a manhunt for the perpetrators and directing emergency agencies to provide immediate relief to affected families.
The Kawel attack follows the killing of Gwande District Head Saf Samuel Alaket in the same local government area less than a week earlier.
Meanwhile, panic gripped Owo, Ondo State, on Sunday night after suspected kidnappers launched two separate raids. In the first, six gunmen invaded the home of community chairman Pastor Taiwo Taiwo around 7 p.m. but were repelled by police who engaged them in a gun battle, allowing the pastor and his family to escape unharmed.
Hours later, around 11:30 p.m., another gang stormed a residence in Gbegun community, shooting 39-year-old Daniel Ologun in the leg before abducting his wife Taibat, 34, and their two children aged four and two. A joint security operation by police and the Nigerian Army recovered the three victims unharmed at about 1:50 a.m. after their abductors fled following a gun battle. Ologun is currently receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo.
In Oyo State, anger over the unresolved abduction of over 39 pupils and seven teachers from schools in Oriire Local Government Area — kidnapped on May 15 — spilled into the streets of Ibadan on Monday. Members of the Take It Back Movement blocked the busy Iwo Road interchange, snarling traffic for hours and demanding immediate government action.
“We will continue to protest for the release of all abducted victims until they are free,” said National Coordinator Juwon Sanyaolu, accusing officials of prioritising 2027 electoral ambitions over the safety of citizens.
South-West Coordinating Deputy Inspector General of Police Adegoke Fayoade, however, offered assurances during a working visit to the Lagos State Police Command. “Within the shortest possible time, the children and their teachers will be free,” he said, adding that security agencies were focused on rescuing the victims rather than negotiating ransom.
Catholic Bishops of the Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province added their voice to the crisis, condemning government programmes to reintegrate repentant terrorists while victims remained in captivity. “The ongoing reintegration of so-called repentant bandits into security agencies and society, while treating victims of crime with neglect or outright disdain, rubs dirt on the face of justice,” their statement read.
Yoruba Nation activist Sunday Igboho also weighed in, dismissing claims by the Concerned Fulani People of Nigeria that his security advocacy was ethnically motivated. “I have never declared war against any ethnic group but have consistently voiced my position against criminal elements,” he said through his spokesman.
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