The Conference of Baptist Church has expressed concern over the increasing number of widows and orphans in Plateau as a result of incessant bandit attacks on residents of the state.

The conference president in Plateau, Reverend Koeleh Saleh, made this revelation in a news conference on Monday in Jos, while soliciting support from the government for its members who are affected by the recent attacks in Irigwe Chiefdom of Bassa LGA.

“There is an increase in the number of widows and orphans in the state which has a negative impact on the society.

“The church has donated relief materials to the affected communities and interfaced with various groups in the area, where it appealed to youths against reprisal attacks,” he said.

Communities in the chiefdom have recently come under a series of attacks, with the attackers killing many, injuring scores and destroying property, including farmlands and food barns worth millions of naira.

Mr Saleh said that urgent intervention would be needed for their members who were the majority of the casualties of the January 11 attack in Ancha community in the LGA.

“We went to evaluate the level of damages in the community and out of the 18 people killed, 16 are members of Salama Baptist church. We want the government to live up to its responsibility of protecting lives and property,” he said.

He expressed concern on the incessant attacks in the area saying that political will was required to ensure perpetrators were arrested to serve as deterrent to others and forestall similar incidence.

He urged the government to hold community leaders responsible to expose perpetrators of the attacks in their areas.

(NAN)