Plateau Killings: Attackers Shot At Anyone On Sight, Says Eyewitness

|  28 people, including pregnant woman, killed  |  Mutfwang vows justice for victims | Bandits kill 15 wedding guests, abduct 25 in Kaduna  |  Stamp out terrorism now, ACF tells Tinubu

BY ACHOR ABIMAJE, AZA MSUE, NONYE EKWENUGO

An eyewitness of the deadly attack that claimed 28 lives, including a pregnant woman, in Agwan Rukuba in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State has said she thought the attackers were National Drug Law Enforcement (NDLEA) officers.

Miss Dorcas Manji told LEADERSHIP that she was coming from LaMed Pharmacy at about 8pm when the incident occurred.

According to her, upon reaching the ECWA junction, she saw six persons alight from a Sharon bus, all dressed in black from head to toe, with their faces fully covered.

“Initially, I thought the men in the Sharon (bus) were NDLEA officers who often come to arrest those guys selling or smoking Indian hemp in our area.  One of the killer-men was busy staring at me, while one of his accomplices grabbed an old man who was coming in the opposite direction and slapped him.

“The man was complaining, and I told him, ‘Daddy, you’d better receive a slap than to be taken away in a Hilux by NDLEA officers.’”

“Shortly, they began shooting at anything on sight, and I saw people falling on the ground in the process.

Mangji said in the midst of all the confusion, she found her way to safety.

Ibrahim Azi, who lost his younger brother in the attack, told our correspondent during an interview that he was sleeping at night when he heard the sound of gunfire.

He explained that when he arrived at the scene of the shooting, he saw a crowd and was told that some gunmen had just opened fire on innocent people.

“I want the government at all levels to do something about these unprovoked attacks on innocent citizens,” he said.

Another resident of the area, Ngo Esther Audu, who also lost her 32-year-old son, Sunday Audu, said her son was initially sleeping in his room, but later woke up to go and buy pain relief medication.

The 72-year-old mother said, “I told him to wait till the following day, but he said no and left; unfortunately, he did not come back home again.

“I later slept, thinking that he had returned. In the morning, I was told that Sunday didn’t come back home he previous night. I went out to look for him, thinking he slept in one of his friends’ houses.

However, upon reaching the junction, she was confronted by some Agwan Rukuba boys who said, “Mama, go home. Sunday is in Jankwano’.

“At that point, my instinct told me that my son is no more,” she said sobbing.

She further disclosed that Sunday had lost his father at a tender age and called on the state government to ensure adequate protection for the vulnerable people in the state.

Meanwhile, no fewer than 28 persons, including a pregnant woman, were reportedly killed, with several others injured, following that deadly attack by gunmen in Gari Ya Waye community, Angwan Rukubac in Jos, Plateau State.

Youth leaders in the area confirmed the casualty figure, describing the attack, which occurred on Palm Sunday night, as coordinated and devastating.

The incident threw the community into panic as residents fled amid heavy gunfire.

Speaking at the scene, the zonal coordinator of the Plateau Youth Council, Samson Chiroma, said bodies were recovered from the area overnight, with additional

Jos North chairman of the Plateau Youth Council, Ambassador Paul Mancha, condemned the attack and urged government and security agencies to act decisively.

“This was not an accidental attack; it was deliberate and well executed. We have been working to calm our youths and prevent reprisals, but justice must be served,” he said.

On his part, chairman of the Coalition of Youth Leaders for Good Governance, Philip Nanbut Bako, described the incident as tragic and unacceptable, urging government authorities to take immediate action to prevent further loss of lives.

According to the president of the Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM), Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, 14 victims were killed on the spot, while 15 others died later at hospitals as a result of bullet wounds.

The victims’ corpses have been deposited in the community.

But the Plateau State commissioner of police, CP Bassey Ewah, in a statement, said only 12 – 10 men and two women were killed during the attack.

According to a statement issued by the Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Alfred Alabo, two additional corpses were found while their men were combing the bushes and trailing the suspects for possible arrests.

Our correspondent reports that several injured victims are receiving treatment in hospitals, while security agencies continue their efforts to stabilise the area.

In response to the incident, the Plateau State Government imposed a 48-hour curfew on Jos North to prevent a further breakdown of the law and order.

The state government, in a statement issued in Jos by the commissioner of information and communication, Hon Joyce Lohya Ramnap, said the curfew would commence at midnight of 29th March and end on 1st April, 2026.

According to the statement, the current administration under the leadership of Governor Caleb Mutfwang strongly condemned this barbaric and unprovoked attack on innocent citizens and assured the public that all necessary measures were being taken to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

Governor Caleb Mutfwang on Monday visited the scene of the deadly attack in Angwan Rukuba, Jos North, where he broke down in tears while commiserating with grieving families.

Bandits kill 15 wedding guests, abduct 25 in Kaduna

In another incident, bandits have attacked a wedding ceremony in Kahir and Kutaho communities of Kagarko Local Government Area, Kaduna State, killing 15 persons and abducting about 25 others.

A resident, Douglas Moses, who witnessed the incident, said the attackers stormed the communities at about midnight on Sunday, shooting sporadically and throwing residents and guests into panic.

Moses said the assailants struck at about 12 a.m., opening fire on people in their homes shortly after the wedding activities.

According to him, the gunmen moved from house to house, killing several persons and abducting others, while raiding different parts of the communities.

He said some victims were shot in their homes, while others were attacked as the assailants advanced through the area.

Another resident, who preferred anonymity, also confirmed the incident, adding that the attackers operated unchallenged for nearly an hour.

He listed some of those killed as Bako Danjuma, Williams Luka, Peter Williams, Joseph Yakubu, Victor Peter, John Dan Asabe, Angulu Markus, Maikano Aribi, Douglas John, Ado Yakubu, Zaphaniah Alhaji, Joseph Kaddah, Francis Unguwa Doya, and two others.

He added that the bandits also looted shops during the attack, carting away foodstuffs, provisions and drugs from a drug store.

“They operated for close to one hour without interruption. They looted shops and even a chemist shop, taking away drugs and other items.”

Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Police Command is yet to issue an official statement on the incident.

Stamp Out Terrorism Now, ACF Tells Tinubu

Consequently, the apex northern socio-cultural organisation, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently stamp out terrorist activities across the country.

Speaking with LEADERSHIP on the killings in Anguwan Rukuba Area of Jos, Plateau and Kahir community in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna state, ACF national publicity secretary, Prof. T. A. Muhammad-Baba, while condemning the attacks, said it was high time the country put everything aside and fought insecurity head-on.

“The latest news about the tragic attack in Plateau State leading to the loss of lives is very, very unfortunate, very disheartening and very discouraging. Only last week or so, the ACF issued a notice drawing the government’s attention to the fact that the insecurity situation is not improving at all. And we are very sad to see this happening right before our eyes.

“What the ACF is afraid of is what the ACF has warned about, which is taking place. And it is high time we put aside everything as a nation and fought this scourge of insecurity. As we have said, it is crippling the country, and it’s time to put everything away and fight it head-on. And we condole with the families of those who have lost their lives. But more importantly, we call on the government to see this as a direct challenge to national security and to the authority of the government. And the government must prevail, and everything must be done to stamp out these terrorist activities in this country, or the terrorist activities will stop us,” the forum stated.