Plateau: Killings, attacks continue despite curfew

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File: Governor Mutfwang in an armoured vehicle during a condolence visit.

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By Golok Nanmwa – JOS

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The curfew was meant to bring a measure of calm to some of the communities in Plateau State that had, in recent days, been shaken by a fresh wave of killings.

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But barely a day after the Plateau State Government restricted movement between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. in Barkin Ladi, Bokkos and Mangu Local Government Areas, fresh deaths were reported.

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On Tuesday, gunmen reportedly ambushed security personnel attached to Operation Rainbow along Gagshi Road, killing one personnel, while three civilians were reportedly killed in a separate incident at Rakok, also known as Kafi Abu, in Barkin Ladi.

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The two incidents, according to separate accounts, brought the reported death toll to four, with the ambush on the security personnel occurring around 4 p.m., before the commencement of the night-time restriction.

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The incidents have added a troubling dimension to the security crisis: while the government has restricted movement during the night to give security agencies room to stabilise the affected areas, violence has continued to be reported during the day.

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President of the Berom Youth Moulders-Association, BYM, Barr. Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, who said he narrowly escaped the ambush involving the Operation Rainbow personnel, described the development as evidence that the security situation was assuming a bigger dimension.

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“I would have also been involved in that incident if not that God, out of His mercy, saved me,” Mwantiri said.

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“This security challenge has entered another level. This thing is taking a bigger dimension. This will not be a night attack again. This will not be even during daytime.”

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A security operative, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also confirmed the ambush.

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“We just experienced an ambush in which a security personnel attached to Operation Rainbow was killed,” the operative said.

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At Rakok, community source Lawrence Gyang said three persons were killed while attending the funeral of two people who had allegedly been killed the previous day while travelling to Gashish.

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The Plateau State Police Command had not responded to inquiries on the incidents at the time of filing the report.

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A curfew under pressure

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The Plateau State Government imposed the dusk-to-dawn curfew on Monday, September 21, following what it described as emerging security threats in Barkin Ladi, Bokkos and Mangu.

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Commissioner for Information and Communication, Joyce Lohya Ramnap, said movement would be restricted from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. until further notice.

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The government said the measure was intended to maintain public order, protect lives, prevent further breakdown of law and order and enable security agencies to stabilise the affected communities.

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Security agencies were directed to enforce the order, while motorcycle use was also banned in the affected areas.

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For residents already living under the shadow of repeated attacks, the announcement offered the possibility of temporary respite.

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Yet the latest incidents have shown that restricting movement alone does not end the threat.

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The Tuesday attack along Gagshi Road happened before the curfew began.

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The reported killings at Rakok also occurred in the broader context of a community gathering for a funeral.

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And in another incident in Mangu, the Mwaghavul Youth Movement alleged that three men were killed at about 7:39 p.m. Tuesday during the period when movement was already restricted.

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The separate incidents underline the different challenges facing communities: preventing attacks during the day, protecting residents during the curfew hours and ensuring that those enforcing security measures are themselves not exposed to ambushes.

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Three killed during curfew in Mangu

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In Mangu, the Mwaghavul Youth Movement, MYM, said three Mwaghavul men were killed in an ambush at the Kyikyau-Gyambwas boundary in Mangu Halle District at about 7:39 p.m. on Tuesday.

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The victims were identified as Samson Dachet, 45; Gambo Fwangyil, 50; and Zughumnan Bamaiyi, 35.

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The movement said the men were among residents keeping watch over their community.

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In a statement signed by its Director of Public Affairs, Tubwot Joël Sunday, on behalf of its president, Comr. Kyesmang Jonathan Yusuf, the group condemned the incident and called for a review of the curfew.

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The group questioned how residents could remain safe if armed attackers were still able to operate despite the restriction.

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It demanded effective patrols, rapid-response capacity, intelligence-led operations and appropriate engagement with recognised community vigilance structures.

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The MYM said the curfew should not result in law-abiding residents being confined to their homes without adequate protection.

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Its position has brought the debate over the curfew into sharper focus: whether the restriction should be viewed simply as a limitation on civilian movement or as part of a wider security operation involving surveillance, intelligence and rapid intervention.

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When the killings continued

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The Tuesday incidents did not occur in isolation.

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They followed a succession of attacks that had already claimed several lives across Barkin Ladi, Riyom and Mangu.

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At least nine persons were reportedly killed in separate attacks between Saturday night and Sunday morning, including five passengers travelling to Gana-Ropp as labourers and two people, including a pastor, who were reportedly killed while travelling to church at Dorowa Babuje.

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A woman was also reportedly killed at Baten Wereng in Riyom, while another person was reportedly killed at Ratyidi in Fan District.

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Five of the victims were travelling to Gana-Ropp in search of work.

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Pyem Youth Leader in Gana-Ropp, Ukasha Garaba, said: “We evacuated the corpses of five persons from Gana-Ropp. They were passengers who were travelling as labourers.

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“They were simply travelling to their destination when they were attacked. It is painful, and something needs to be done urgently to protect innocent travellers.”

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Their deaths illustrated how insecurity has transformed ordinary journeys into potentially dangerous ventures.

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For residents, the fear is no longer limited to travelling at night.

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A trip to the farm, a journey to the market, a funeral procession or a visit to a place of worship can all become occasions of anxiety.

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Women and children on the run

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At Dorowa Bubuje in Barkin Ladi, the human cost of the violence was seen in the evacuation of women and children following reports of gunshots from the direction of Kantoma.

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Lawrence Shong, a resident, said gunshots who spoke to our correspondent said the gunmen stormed the community and starting shotting.

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“Women and children were evacuated because of the attack.”

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The BYM spokesman, Rwang Tengwong, also said women and children were moved to safer locations.

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“Women and children were evacuated from this place because of the attack,” he said.

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Military personnel were reportedly deployed to the area, but Tengwong called for sustained security presence to prevent further attacks.

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The evacuation captures the deeper reality behind the casualty figures.

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When women and children begin fleeing before an attack is fully understood, it means fear has already taken hold.

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The market became a killing ground

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In Mangu, the violence has also reached places that ordinarily serve as economic lifelines.

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On Friday night, gunmen reportedly attacked a vegetable market in Mangu town, killing three persons and injuring scores.

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The incident occurred at about 8:30 p.m. as traders and buyers were preparing to close for the day.

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President of the MDA, Bulus Dabit, said the attackers opened fire on a vehicle leaving the market, killing two women and a young man.

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Several other people were reportedly injured and referred to the Jos University Teaching Hospital, JUTH, for treatment.

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George Amos a resident of Mangu said: “The attack was more than another entry in the casualty figures.

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“It struck at the heart of everyday economic life.”

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“Markets are where farmers sell their produce, traders earn income and families obtain food “.

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“When fear empties a market, the consequences extend beyond those directly attacked” he said

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Even funerals become dangerous

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The reported Rakok killings have introduced another disturbing element into the crisis.

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According to the community account, the three civilians were killed while attending the funeral of two people allegedly killed the previous day.

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For communities already traumatised by repeated violence, such incidents create a frightening cycle, ,People are attacked,

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Families gather to bury the dead.

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Mourners become exposed.

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Another attack occurs

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And another set of families is left grieving.

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The bigger Mangu crisis

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The latest incidents have also renewed attention on the wider security crisis in Mangu.

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The Mwaghavul Development Association has claimed that more than 750 Mwaghavul people have been killed in attacks since 2023.

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The MDA also rejected claims that any part of Mwaghavul territory has been legally ceded, sold or transferred.

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BYM: Curfew must be matched with security

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The Berom Youth Moulders-Association has called for a broader security strategy alongside the curfew.

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The group said residents did not simply need restrictions on their movement but effective measures capable of preventing attackers from operating freely.

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It called for security operations around suspected hideouts and access routes, sustained deployment along vulnerable roads, intelligence-led operations and protection for communities and mourners.

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“The people of Plateau State are tired of burying their sons and daughters,” the association said.

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Mutfwang’s assurance

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Governor Caleb Mutfwang has repeatedly maintained that the state government will continue to protect residents.

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Speaking at the 2026 Plateau Annual Convention of the General Council of Assemblies of God Nigeria, North East Zone, at Gyel, Jos South, the governor said:

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“I cannot abandon my responsibility of securing the people of Plateau State. We will protect our people with all that we have, within the ambit of the law.”

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“Plateau State will not be defeated by violence or the gun” he added.

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