A victim of the tragic Christmas Eve attack in Plateau State, Mr. Kazeem Lawal has shared the heart-wrenching details of how he lost his son, cousin and numerous belongings, including his home, during the violent incident.
On December 24, unknown assailants stormed over 17 villages in Mangu, Barkin Ladi, Bokkos and two other districts, setting houses ablaze and killing residents. As of this report, more than 100 lives have been confirmed lost with many others injured and hospitalized.
Lawal, a resident of Barkin Ladi, spoke to reporters in the days following the attack. He revealed that, apart from the tragic loss of two family members, his house and vehicles were also destroyed by the attackers. His wife, Yemisi Lawal, pointed out that the assault was believed to have been carried out by religious extremists who have terrorized the region for years.
“I am a Christian and my husband is a Muslim. We live in peace together. But there are those in this area who seem determined to cause religions fight They’ve long threatened and made attempts to attack churches, Yemisi explained. She recalled that on the fateful day of the attack, she had gone to church with their two children, leaving her husband, his cousin and his first son from another woman. We scampered for safety when we started hearing gunshots. But hours later, Yemisi could not reach her husband’s phone and feared the worst.
It wasn’t until midnight on the church grounds that she saw her husband in tears, alone without their son or cousin. I was terrified that something had happened to them,” Yemisi added. Days later when the bodies of the deceased were found, we discovered that they were among them.
Mr. Lawal also expressed his deep sorrow, saying, My son and cousin are dead… My cars were burnt, my house is gone. Everything is lost. I haven’t had a change of clothes in three days. Only God can help me now. I am overwhelmed with grief.
Plateau State’s Commissioner of Police, Okoro Alawari, confirmed the tragic toll of the attack, reporting that 96 people had been killed and 221 houses set on fire during the violent spree by the gunmen.
