Seven people have reportedly lost their lives following a violent attack on a mining location in the Kuru community of Jos South Local Government Area, Plateau State.
The incident, which occurred on Wednesday night, also left several others injured. Confirmation of the attack was given on Thursday in Jos by the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Caleb Mutfwang on Artisanal Mining, Emmanuel Solomon.
Solomon said he had just received details of the assault and disclosed that seven miners were killed. He added that he was on his way to the affected community to assess the situation firsthand.
Describing the development as deeply unfortunate, Solomon noted that the attack was part of a troubling trend of violence targeting miners in the area. He recalled that only days earlier, assailants attacked another group of miners in Gyel community, killing two people while one escaped. According to him, the victims were ambushed while heading to a mining site.
He further revealed that a similar incident occurred about two weeks ago when gunmen attacked miners, resulting in two deaths and one injury. The injured victim, he said, is currently receiving treatment at Lome Hospital. Solomon also disclosed that one of the deceased in that earlier attack was his younger brother.
Expressing concern over the rising insecurity, Solomon stressed the need for urgent intervention and assured that the state government would investigate the attacks with a view to providing improved security support for miners going forward.
Meanwhile, the Jos South Area Commander of the Nigerian Forest Security Service, Pam Gyang Pwajok, said he was not immediately aware of the incident and promised to make inquiries.
Efforts to reach the spokesperson of the Plateau State Police Command, Alabo Alfred, were unsuccessful as his phone line was switched off at the time of filing this report.
The latest attack has heightened concerns over the safety of artisanal miners in Plateau State, particularly in Jos South, amid repeated incidents of violence in mining communities.
