Plateau State Governor Caleb Muftwang has asked members of communities razed over the weekend to unite and defend their communities.

“We must stay united to defend our communities,” Mr Muftwang said in a statement on Tuesday.

The attack was executed by killer herdsmen who have strong-held parts of the state. The perpetrators remain at large for days after.

He disclosed that 17 communities were levelled in the attack, which has left 162 dead and countless injured.

“We have not less than 17 communities that were completely touched and brought down by these bandits and criminals. It has been a very terrifying Christmas for us on the Plateau,” he said.

The governor added that several communities affected in the attack were in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area (LGA), which shares borders with Bokkos LGA, both recognised as predominantly Christian communities.

The governor said the attack was “well-coordinated with heavy weapons.” He further asked security agencies to identify the sponsors of the attacks.

“This particular set of attacks was well-coordinated with heavy weapons. The security agencies must do their work to be able to identify who are the sponsors of these attacks. We will push them to be able to unravel all those responsible for these attacks,” he said.