BARMM town councilor shot dead in Maguindanao del Sur
A town councilor in Paglat, Maguindanao del Sur (BARMM) was shot dead by two men in front of his home after a brief conversation with the assailants. The victim was identified as Samon Kitalok.
Barangay Captain Samon Kitalok, a town councilor in Paglat, Maguindanao del Sur (BARMM), was shot dead on October 17, 2024, around 7:30 PM local time. The attack occurred while he was riding his motorcycle along the national highway in Barangay Bagong Kermen, Paglat. Kitalok, aged 52, was a known local leader who was reportedly unarmed at the time of the attack. Two unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle tailed and shot Kitalok multiple times at close range using a caliber .45 pistol, then fled toward Datu Montawal town. Kitalok was declared dead on arrival at a hospital in Cotabato City.
Authorities suspect the killing is linked to rido (clan feuds) or political rivalries ahead of the 2025 midterm elections. Paglat has a history of such violence, including recent bombings and shootings tied to local power struggles. This was the second high-profile killing in Paglat within weeks, as earlier in October 2024, a village chairperson and his son were killed in a similar ambush.
The Paglat Municipal Police Station, led by Lt. Col. Raden Uy, secured the crime scene and recovered 10 spent shells from the shooting. The Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) offered a P300,000 reward for information leading to the suspects' arrest. Maguindanao del Sur Gov. Marop B. Paguial condemned the killing and directed police to expedite the investigation.
BARMM Police Regional Director P/Brig. Gen. Allan Nobleza vowed justice for the killing and deployed additional forces to the area. The case remains under investigation by PRO-BAR, with ongoing leads on the gunmen's identities possibly tied to a rival faction. As of late 2024, no arrests had been reported. Local media highlighted this incident as part of escalating election-related violence in BARMM, where at least 5 leaders were killed in Maguindanao del Sur that year.
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