The death toll from the recent wave of violent attacks in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State has climbed to 52, local authorities confirmed.

This increase comes after the recovery of 40 additional bodies between Wednesday and Thursday night, as search and rescue teams continue scouring nearby bushes for missing persons.

The Chairman of Bokkos Cultural Development Council (BCDC) Vanguard, Farmasum Fuddang, told Channels Television that 31 persons were given a mass burial on Thursday with another five underaged victims burnt to ashes in Hurti village. 11 others were killed in Ruwi village, four in Manguna village with one person killed in Daffo village.

According to the Cultural Group Vanguard, residents are awaiting an outcome from the ongoing search and rescue of missing persons in the Hurti and Mbar villages respectively.

The Plateau State Government has condemned the attacks and called for calm as a coordinated security response is currently ongoing in the affected areas.

In a statement on Friday, the state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Joyce Ramnap, expressed concern about the renewed attacks.

She described the unfortunate incident as a setback to the gains in maintaining law and order by security agencies in the local government area.

“Security agencies have deployed and dominated these areas to ensure normalcy returns at the shortest possible time,” she stated.

“Additionally, important arrests have been made by the security agencies and this will hopefully help in stemming the tide of this ugly situation.”

Ramnap also urged Plateau residents to exercise restraint and refrain from taking the law into their own hands as the state government has deployed strategic measures to enhance intelligence gathering, surveillance, and rapid response mechanisms in collaboration with security operatives.

Also, religious, traditional, and community leaders have been urged to reinforce the message of peace, unity, and lawful engagement as the government is committed to upholding law and order and will not relent in its pursuit of justice against those who seek to destabilize the communities.

Residents were also encouraged to remain law-abiding, support security efforts, and utilize official channels for security concerns.

Tensions have soared in the state since about 200 people were killed at Christmas 2023 celebrations during a bloody attack on a majority Christian village.

In May last year, around 40 people were killed and homes torched in the town of Wase.