The Community was attacked around 1 a.m.
Gunmen on Thursday morning attacked Heipang, a community in Barkin Ladi Local Government, Plateau State, killing 17 people.
Daily Trust reports that the attack occurred around 1 a.m. when most of the residents of the community were sleeping.
This attack is coming three days after a commuter, who was returning from Kara, a cattle market in Bukuru was attacked and killed in the Heipang area.
The Berom Youth Moulders-Association (BYM), had on Tuesday condemned the killing of the commuter, explaining that the attack was purely an act of criminality by enemies of peace.
The spokesperson of Operation Safe Haven, a multi-security taskforce in the state, Ola James, who confirmed the latest incident said troops of the operation have been deployed to the community to restore law and order.
"There was an early warning signal that some bandits could launch attacks in the area which prompted the operation to mount checkpoints in the area but the bandits followed another route, and attacked the community. 17 were confirmed killed. The commander of OPSH was in the attacked community.
"We suspect that it was a reprisal attack following the incident that happened on Monday. We have deployed our men to restore law and order in the area," the spokesperson said.
John Pam, the state youth leader of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in the area, who also confirmed the incident said his brother was killed in the attack.
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On Wednesday, the Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, inaugurated a Security and Information Centre (SIC) aimed at facilitating public access to security-related information and to convey incidents to the relevant authorities for prompt action.
Mr Mutfwang said the Centre established by the Plateau State Information and Communication Technology Development Agency (PICTDA), seeks to bridge the communication divide between the general public and the government.
He said the Centre will utilise basic technology to establish a toll-free hotline, allowing citizens to share information without incurring charges, using the phone number 080 0000 5555.
Mr Mutfwang said the centre is already operational and people can call, emphasised that the state government will cover the cost of all incoming calls on behalf of the citizens.
