Seven illegal miners were killed in the early hours of Wednesday at a mining site in the Capitex area of Kuru, Jos South Local Government Area, Plateau State.
The leadership of Operation Enduring Peace made the development known in a press release issued to journalists in Jos.
Troops of Sector 6, Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP), were alerted to the attack around 8 a.m. and immediately moved to the scene, securing the area and conducting a thorough search.
Preliminary investigations suggest the assailants, suspected to be bandits, struck around 1 a.m. with the aim of seizing illegally mined minerals. Ten empty 7.62mm ammunition shells were recovered at the site.
The bodies were later taken to the Primary Health Care facility in Dabwak Kuru for identification and burial arrangements.
Security sources noted that the victims were still at the site despite the state’s ban on night and illegal mining activities.
Troops say intelligence-led operations are ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators, while security presence and community engagements have been intensified to prevent further incidents.
