File: Governor Mutfwang in an armoured vehicle during a condolence visit.
*Over 24 dead, homes burnt, farms destroyed in, Mangu
By Golok Nanmwa, JOS
It was another night of fear in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State.As residents of Bin-Per community in Kombun District went to sleep on Monday night, August 17, few could have imagined that heavily armed attackers were already closing in on their homes.
By about 11:30pm and into the early hours of Tuesday, August 18, the community was plunged into terror as gunmen reportedly opened fire on local vigilantes before splitting into groups and moving from house to house.
By the time the attackers withdrew, at least 24 persons had been killed, according to community sources, while others sustained injuries.
Several homes were reportedly burnt and farmlands and crops destroyed, leaving families devastated and a community struggling to comprehend the scale of the tragedy.
The victims were later given a mass burial.
But beyond the figures, the horror of Bin-Per was captured in the stories of survivors who watched loved ones disappear in the darkness.
For many residents, the most painful part was that the attacks took place inside homes, where families had sought refuge from the violence and expected to be safe.
An eyewitness, Daniel Musa, said the attackers moved from house to house, forcing their way into homes and attacking residents who were asleep.
“Our village came under attack in the early hours of today, Tuesday, by heavily armed persons.
“They were moving from house to house, opening the doors of people who were sleeping and slaughtering them,” he said.
Eight family members killed
The extent of the carnage became even more disturbing as residents recounted how entire families were wiped out.
A resident, Mr Fangwsak James, said eight members of one family were killed in a compound, leaving behind only a two-year-old child who survived the attack despite sustaining gunshot wounds to the leg and hip.
James said the child was left for dead before being discovered.
Another resident, Shedrack Ayuba, said he lost his wife and four children in the attack.
According to Ayuba, he was keeping watch over the community with other vigilantes when they suddenly heard gunshots from different directions.
“I was with some of my co-vigilantes keeping watch over the community when we heard shooting from all over,” he said.
Ayuba said he attempted to escape through a building but was shot in the leg.
“I managed to escape through a maize farm. My wife and children were not spared.
“They went into my house and opened fire on them while they were sleeping.
“I was taken to the hospital. It was the next day that I discovered that my wife had been killed,” he said.
Another resident said a man lost three children in the attack, further highlighting the devastating impact of the violence on families.
Residents said the attackers appeared to have carefully positioned themselves around the community to prevent people from escaping.
“They positioned themselves strategically and scattered themselves so that nobody would escape,” one resident said, adding that some people attempting to flee were also attacked and killed.
“They did not spare anyone. They killed everyone,” another resident, Tongret Rogo, said.
Vigilantes overrun
Ronbak Maxwell, another resident, said the attackers first opened fire on vigilantes before gaining access to the community.
He said the incident started at about 11:30pm and that about two vigilantes were killed before the attackers advanced into the community.
According to him, the gunmen divided themselves into groups and began moving from house to house.
“We called for help but the response was not fast,” Maxwell said.
He added that most of the casualties were women and children.
The attack also destroyed the economic foundation of many households.
Women protest killings
As the community buried its dead, women of Bin-Per took their grief to the streets.
Carrying leaves, the women staged a peaceful protest against the killings and demanded urgent action from the government.
They lamented the loss of husbands, children, relatives, neighbours and friends, saying the attack had left families traumatised and livelihoods devastated.
One of the protesters, Mrs Ladi Joshua, said the women were devastated by the killings and demanded an end to recurring attacks on the community.
“The scale of destruction is not merely an attack on individuals but an attack on an entire community, its dignity, livelihood, and future,” the women said.
They questioned how heavily armed attackers could repeatedly penetrate vulnerable communities and inflict such destruction.
The women also expressed concern over the effectiveness and responsiveness of the existing security architecture, saying communities were increasingly being forced to rely on themselves for protection.
According to them, the intervention of youths helped prevent the death toll from becoming even higher.
“Citizens should not have to become their own soldiers before they can sleep safely in their homes,” they said.
However, they stressed that community self-defence could not replace the responsibility of government to protect lives and property.
They called on Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang and the Federal Government to urgently reassess security arrangements in vulnerable communities.
They demanded improved intelligence gathering, proactive deployment of security personnel and effective rapid-response mechanisms.
Assembly raises alarm
The Plateau State House of Assembly has also raised concerns over the attack and its wider implications.
During plenary, the member representing Mangu South Constituency, Dr Matthew Sylvester Kwarpo, raised a Matter of Urgent Public Importance over the attacks.
Kwarpo said more than 25 people were killed in Bin-Per, while another person was killed in attacks on Jwak and Murish communities.
He disclosed that 38 houses were burnt, while several hectares of farmlands, barns containing stored grains and other valuables were destroyed.
The lawmaker warned that the destruction of farms and stored food could worsen the hardship facing residents and threaten food security.
He urged the Assembly to convene a critical stakeholders’ meeting to examine the implications of the attacks on affected communities and Mangu Local Government Area.
Kwarpo also called for proactive security measures, stronger intelligence gathering, improved surveillance and timely deployment of security personnel to vulnerable locations.
He appealed to the Plateau State Government, State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, humanitarian agencies and well-meaning individuals to provide relief materials, food, medical assistance and shelter to victims.
Governor orders intensified security
Following the attack, Governor Mutfwang directed security agencies to intensify surveillance and patrols in Bin-Per, Kombun District and other vulnerable communities in Mangu.
The state government condemned the attack and described it as a disturbing development capable of threatening the peace and security being consolidated across the state.
The governor sympathised with the victims and their families and urged residents not to embark on reprisal attacks.
He also called on residents to provide credible and timely information to security agencies to assist in identifying and apprehending the attackers.
Police vow arrests
The Plateau State Police Command has also moved to reassure residents.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Ayodeji Faniyan, visited Bin-Per for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation.
Faniyan commiserated with traditional council elders, the local government chairman and residents of Mangu and delivered the condolence message of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu.
The CP vowed that the perpetrators would be identified, arrested and prosecuted.
“The Command will do everything within its constitutional powers to identify, arrest and prosecute those responsible,” he said.
Faniyan said security had been strengthened in Bin-Per and surrounding communities to prevent further attacks and restore confidence among residents.
He urged residents to provide accurate and timely information that could assist the investigation.
He also warned against jungle justice, saying taking the law into their own hands could further escalate tension and undermine efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Attack rekindles old fears
The Bin-Per attack did not occur in isolation.
It came barely days after gunmen reportedly attacked Juwak Mai Tunbi community in Mangu, where properties, including tin sheds, places of worship and a chemist, were reportedly destroyed.
The latest violence has therefore revived concerns over the vulnerability of communities in Mangu and the wider security situation in Plateau State.
The attack has also attracted condemnation from political actors.
A scribe of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Plateau State, Hon. Jude Eli Dakur, described the killings as “barbaric, senseless and unacceptable.”
Dakur mourned the loss of innocent lives and condemned the destruction of homes, farms and property.
He said the killing of people who were asleep in their homes represented a grave assault on the sanctity of human life.
He called on security agencies to immediately mobilise and go after the perpetrators, while demanding intensified intelligence gathering and surveillance across Mangu and other vulnerable parts of Plateau State.
He also called for effective rapid-response mechanisms capable of responding promptly to distress calls.
The Plateau Initiative for Development and Advancement of the Natives, PIDAN, Central Zone, has called on the Plateau State Government to declare a state of emergency on security following the killing of more than 20 persons in Mangu Local Government Area.
PIDAN made the demand while reacting to the latest attack on Binper community in Mangu, where more than 20 persons were reportedly killed and buried on Tuesday.
In a strongly worded statement signed by its Chairman, Central Zone, Alpha John Dakwak and made available to newsmen on Wednesday , the group said the recurring attacks across Plateau had become intolerable and demanded urgent, decisive measures to protect vulnerable communities.
PIDAN said the latest massacre, coming amid a series of deadly attacks in the state, demonstrated that government could no longer afford to respond to killings with condolences and condemnations alone.
“Condolences are no substitute for security. Expressions of grief cannot resurrect the dead. What the people need now is decisive action, not another cycle of condemnation and condolences,” the group said.
It declared: “Enough is enough,” insisting that the magnitude of the security crisis required “extraordinary, immediate and unequivocal action.”
The group specifically urged the Plateau Government to declare a state of emergency on security in affected and vulnerable communities and take all necessary measures to protect lives and property.
PIDAN also called for the equipping, training and proper coordination of local vigilantes to complement conventional security agencies, particularly in remote communities.
The organisation further demanded a review of the current deployment of military personnel in communities.
It called on the National Assembly to urgently fast-track the passage of the State Police Bill, saying the move would strengthen community-based policing and improve security across the country.
PIDAN further urged security agencies to become more proactive through improved intelligence gathering, early-warning systems and rapid-response mechanisms capable of preventing attacks before they occur.
“The people of Plateau State deserve to live in peace, farm their lands and raise their families without the constant fear of being attacked,” the group said.
While expressing solidarity with the victims, their families and affected communities, PIDAN demanded accountability and decisive action from government.
“This is no longer a time for condemnation alone. It is a time for action the group declared.
