The death toll from the recent attacks in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State has risen to 52, according to local authorities.

This followed the recovery of 40 more bodies on Wednesday and Thursday night while the search and rescue team kept combing the 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.

The police have confirmed the abduction of Blessing Adagba, the coordinator of Ngbo Central Development Centre in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

The incident occurred on Thursday, sending shock waves through the community.

The Police spokesperson, SP Joshua Ukandu, while confirming the incident, said that the Anti-Kidnapping Squad is working hard to secure the victim’s release.

Channels Television gathered that the abduction took place around midnight in the Okposhi Eheku community in Ohaukwu Local Government Area.

“Around 12 a.m., a group of men disguised as soldiers invaded the residence of Hon. Blessing Adagba. They demanded she open the door, but she refused, questioning why soldiers would come at such an (odd) hour.”

“The kidnappers brandished firearms, overpowered the coordinator and abducted her to an unknown location”.

Residents and security operatives in Ohaukwu are reportedly making efforts to ensure the safe return of the victim.

Community leaders have expressed concern over the rise in abductions in the area. They are calling for increased security measures to protect residents.

Akinwunmi Adesina, the president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), says internal investments within the continent are the only pathway to beating poverty.

Adesina spoke in an episode of BBC’s Focus on Africa podcast that aired on Wednesday.

Reacting to the “unprecedentedly large cuts” to foreign aid that rattled multiple sectors across Africa, Adesina said the impact proves that the continent does not need to rely on international donors.

“You can’t just rely on the benevolence of others,” he said.

“Benevolence is not a strategy; investment is a strategy. There is no substitute to actually hard-nosed investments in which you actually bring in private capital to unlock all of your assets.”

The AfDB president said it is crucial that the youth, who make up most of Africa’s population, invest their talents and skills in the continent rather than seek a future in foreign nations.

“We have to build highly competitive industrial value chains that we can trade among ourselves, that we can get the skills, and some of the people that are leaving will come back,” he said.

“So, if you’re investing in, for example, manufacturing lithium-ion precursor batteries in DRC Congo, it’s three times less than in the United States, Poland, or China.

“And so, when we build those chains, we retain talent, we attract talent. Our young people will do that, so if you want to create more jobs, build industries.

“When you export raw materials, that is the door to poverty.”

Reflecting on his two-term tenure as AfDB president, Adesina said he viewed his position as a mission to fast-track Africa’s progress.

Adesina is the eighth elected president of the AfDB.

He was first elected to the position on May 28, 2015, by the bank’s board of governors in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and was re-elected unanimously for a second five-year term on August 27, 2020.

Before his appointment at the AfDB, Adesina was Nigeria’s minister of agriculture from 2010 to 2015.

Adesina will conclude his tenure at the AfDB in September.