Gunmen kill reverend father, burn houses in Plateau

A reverend father, Mimang Lekyil, in Kwakas community, Mushere District in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State has been reportedly killed by gunmen. 

It was learnt that the wife of the reverend father and her sister were injured in the incident.

Residents of the community told Daily Trust that the gunmen, alleged to be kidnappers, attacked the reverend’s house around 9:pm on Sunday when his family members were about to sleep.

Bishop Ayuba Matawal, a resident of Bokkos who also confirmed the incident, narrated that the two women were earlier kidnapped, but were rescued by vigilantes and youths in the area.

“Yes, they shot the reverend father.  The two women in the house, his wife and a visitor, were kidnapped but were later rescued by residents of the area who mobilised to trail the assailants. It is believed that they came to kidnap the reverend since they went with the women,” Bishop Matawal said.

He further stated that the body of the late 70-year-old reverend had been deposited at Luna Mortuary in Bokkos.

Meanwhile, houses belonging to the herding community in the area have been burnt down by angry residents in the Dingak Village, a Fulani settlement in Mushere Central.

Saeed Adamu, a Fulani youth leader in Bokkos, told Daily Trust that many houses belonging to their members were burnt following the killing of the reverend father.

While condemning the murder of the religious leader, Adamu called on the security forces to investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice.

The youth leader also condemned the burning of houses, saying there was no evidence to show the cleric was killed by herders.

“We heard about the story of the killing of the Reverend but there has been no investigation indicating the killing was committed by our members. This is how things are done. We called on the security agencies to investigate the matter,” Adamu said.

The Spokesperson of the Operation Safe Haven, Major Samson Zhakom, had yet to respond to an inquiry on the incident by our correspondent as of the time of filing this report.