At a venue where Saturday Sun correspondents were scheduled to meet with some survivors of recent attacks in Plateau State, four-year-old Francis Akpa suddenly became hysterical and began screaming upon seeing guns. Initially, those present were puzzled by the boy’s reaction, but his uncle, Wayi Saleh, after persistent questioning, learned that it was the sight of two armed policemen that triggered the child’s distress.
According to The Sun, Francis had associated the guns with the traumatic memories of an attack that took place on April 14, 2025, when the house where he and his family were taking refuge came under siege.
Meanwhile, another victim of the assailants, Mrs. Asabe Moses, was reported to be in a state of emotional and physical turmoil following the attack on her home. She was said to be deeply heartbroken, having lost her husband and two of her children who were burned alive, while another son was brutally killed. Speaking through an interpreter in Jos, she recounted that they had been asleep on the night of Sunday, April 14, 2025, when they were awakened by loud noises and gunfire. According to her, their home was surrounded by gunmen who opened fire indiscriminately through the windows. She added that they had managed to find a hiding spot inside the house as the attackers unleashed terror.
Further talking, she said, “As we were hiding, some of the gunmen were trying to force the door open and they eventually broke the door. When they entered inside the room, they found my 14-year-old son who was sleeping. Then the boy woke up and started asking, who are those in the room. They started beating the boy and took him outside.Then they slaughtered him like an animal. We were inside hearing them, slaughtering him like a goat. The boy was crying and after sometime, his voice ceased.”
She added that the attackers also used a machete on one of her sons, striking him on the head, which led to his death. According to her, although she, her mother-in-law, and her six-year-old daughter managed to hide inside the house and avoid being seen, the gunmen did not enter the room again but instead set the building on fire. Tragically, her husband, her 10-year-old son, and her two-year-old son were trapped inside and were burned to death.
She noted that the place where she and the others hid did not catch fire as intensely, which allowed them to survive, though they sustained severe burns. She said they were eventually taken to the hospital where they received treatment, but the pain they endured remained unbearable.
However, there was a small relief for her; her 19-year-old son, she explained, had been out of town on the night of the attack, and it was only by chance that he escaped the massacre.
Asabe further recounted that their village, located in Zikke Kwall District of Bassa Local Government Area, had a security post nearby. During the attack, they could hear drones hovering in the air, but surprisingly, the drones appeared to circle around where the villagers were hiding rather than where the attackers were. She expressed confusion and frustration over the apparent inaction of the security personnel, stating that, despite the ongoing assault, they made no attempt to repel the attackers.
