Multiple rocket attacks in the restive city of Jos has left residents ill at ease and claimed the life of a 10-year-old boy.

Eye witnesses in the Bukuru area of Jos said an assailant dressed in red had fired a rocket launcher at an Islamic school. Plateau state governor’s spokesman, Pam Ayuba confirmed the incident, saying the Islamic school was the target of the attack.

Police spokesman Emmanuel Abuh said the assailant fired a “rocket propelled grenade” from Jero road, which runs adjacent to the school, the AFP reported.

“A 10-year-old boy was hit on the head… and he died,” said Abuh. The attack quickly fled the scene, avoiding capture. , adding that the attacker fled the scene before he could be apprehended.

Locals said the young victim was a bystander and not a pupil at the school targeted for attacks.

One resident told the AFP that the missile deflected and hit the wall of the school, killing the young boy in the process.

According to the Premium Times, there were two more RPG attacks in the Plateau state capital.

Spokesman for the Special Task Force, Salisu Mustapha, told the Times that another RPG was fired at a three-storey building near the school and a third RPG was fired close to a STF camp site.  

Security operatives have reportedly cordoned off the area of the three attacks, the Premium Times wrote.

Recent raids in the central Plateau state have claimed over 100 lives and forced thousands to flee troubled villages, especially in the Barkin Ladi and Riyom communities.

The AFP reported that some 5,500 people have fled their homes after attacks on mainly Christian villages.

“People left their homes and ran to safety with only the clothes they were wearing. They need everything to survive in this kind of situation,” said Julia Unger, ICRC’s head in Jos, the state capital, in the statement.

The humanitarian organisation said it was now providing food, blankets, soap and other essential items to more than 2,800 displaced people, the AFP reported.