Jos: How a survivor pretended to be dead to escape murder

Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang visited injured victims undergoing treatment at the Jos University Teaching Hospital, where many were being cared for after a brutal attack in the Gari Ya Waye area of Jos North Local Government Area.

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A typical Sunday evening in the Angwan Rukuba community turned into a nightmare, with survivors like Jerry Bala, an artisan, saying the memories of the terror will stay with them for years to come, after a day that began like any other with people going about their daily activities.

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The calm of the evening was shattered at around 7:30 pm by the sound of gunfire, which many residents initially dismissed as a routine security operation, given a recent visit by officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.

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However, as the shooting intensified, it became clear that something more sinister was unfolding, with gunmen invading the community and firing indiscriminately at residents, resulting in at least 28 people feared dead and several others critically injured.

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While official figures initially put the death toll slightly lower, residents insist that the number rose as some victims later died in hospital, leaving confusion and grief in the community as families desperately searched for missing relatives.

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Samson Bala was among those thrown into panic, having been at his workplace at Dogon Dutse, near Angwan Rukuba, when the shooting began, and he recalled the moment fear took hold, saying, “We first thought it might be a routine operation from NDLEA, but when the gunshots continued, we knew something was wrong.”

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Driven by concern for his brother Jerry, who was critically ill, Samson made his way towards Angwan Rukuba, where he encountered a scene of devastation, saying, “I saw bodies on the ground, some were people I knew, others I didn’t.”

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Jerry had been shot in the head and was moved between medical facilities before his family finally located him, and as he battles for his life, his family clings to hope, while many survivors, including 26-year-old Dorathy Adams, have been left traumatised.

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Dorathy had been at the Angwan Rukuba market when the shooting began, and like others, she initially mistook the gunfire for an NDLEA operation, but within moments, panic spread as people began to flee, and she recounted, “We started running, but they were shooting at us, a bullet passed close to my neck and I fell.”

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In that split second, Dorathy made a decision that saved her life, saying, “I just lay there and didn’t move, they thought I was dead,” and according to her, some victims were shot more than once.

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Mohammed Habib, who was in a nearby area when he heard the gunshots, tried to escape the danger but was accosted by a group of young men who threatened him with knives and attacked him, leaving him with severe head injuries.

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Among those who lost their lives was an elderly woman, Ngo Chundung, a familiar face in the community known for selling kwadon wake, who had gone out that evening to earn her daily income, unaware it would be her last.

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A neighbour, Charity Agada, described Ngo Chundung as a hardworking woman who depended on her trade for survival, saying, “She went out to sell as she always does, her body was later found among the victims, it is heartbreaking.”

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In response to the killings, Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang described the attack as “barbaric and unprovoked” and imposed a 48-hour curfew on Jos North in a bid to restore calm, but tensions lingered even after the curfew was relaxed.

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Incidents of unrest were reported in a nearby community of Nassarawa Gwong, where places of worship were targeted, and security agencies and community leaders had to intervene to prevent further escalation, as many residents see the tragedy as part of a troubling pattern of violence that has plagued the State for years.

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Kefas Lamak, a Plateau indigene and academic based in the USA, commented on the situation, saying the attack reflects deeper failures in the country’s security architecture.