The Defence Headquarters (DHQ), on Friday, detailed that the attack on some villages in Plateau State on Christmas Eve was carried out before troops timely arrived the location.
Director of Defence Media Operations, Edward Buba, however said the intervention of the troops in Bokkos and Barkin Ladi Local Government Areas (LGA) forced some of the militants to withdraw after wreaking havoc on the defenceless villagers.
Recall that attacks on Christmas Eve by gunmen in Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi LGAs led to the death of over 110 persons.
However, Buba said the militants unleashed mayhem on the villagers before the troop’s intervention.
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Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Buba said, “Sadly, events turned gloomy with the attack on Bokkos LGA and some part of Barkin Ladi LGA on Dec. 23.
“It should be noted that Bokkos and Barkin Ladi LGAs span about 2,315 Square kilometres with over 350 villages, mostly dispersed.
“The distance between some of these villages and troops’ locations is over 90 kilometres and sometimes difficult to access because of the rugged terrain which is mostly inaccessible to vehicles.
“Thus, affecting the reaction time to incidents, except when there is credible intelligence before the attack.
“The militants unleashed mayhem on the villagers before the arrival of troops to the location.”
