The Plateau State Police Command has confirmed the massacre of about 96 persons in Plateau state.

Police said the innocent residents were killed while 221 houses were set ablaze during the Christmas Eve attacks by gunmen in Plateau State.

The State Commissioner of Police, Okoro Alawari, disclosed this on Tuesday in a statement signed by the command’s spokesman, Alfred Alabo.

According to him, the attacks which were carried out by the assailants in 15 communities of Bokkos and Barkin Ladi Local Government Areas of the state also left eight vehicles burnt in the process.

The statement read, “The Commissioner of Police, Plateau State Command, CP Okoro Alawari expresses grief over the deadly attacks that took place in some remote villages of Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi Local Government Areas of Plateau State carried out by some yet-to-identified assailants on the December 24, 2023 at odd hours of the night, and sympathises with the families of those who lost their loved ones in the gruesome attack.

The statement said to prevent further carnage, the Commissioner of Police had directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations to relocate to Bokkos LGA and also deployed a team of operational forces to the troubled areas to prevent further attacks and assess the level of damages in the affected areas.

“Investigation and monitoring of the incidents are still on. Further development will be communicated soon,” the statement added.