24 Killed as Gunmen Attack Plateau Community, Victims Receive Mass Burial

No fewer than 24 people have been killed in a gunmen attack on Bin-Per community in the Ruff, Kombun District of Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The attack reportedly occurred between Monday night and the early hours of Tuesday, with residents alleging that heavily armed assailants moved from house to house, forcing their way into homes and attacking people while they slept.

An eyewitness, Daniel Musa, said more than 24 deaths had been confirmed, while several residents sustained injuries and others were still missing.

“Our village came under attack last night and in the early hours of today by heavily armed persons,” Musa said. “They were moving from house to house, opening the doors of people who were sleeping and slaughtering them.”

Another resident, John Dalyop, described the incident as devastating and called on security agencies to swiftly identify and arrest those responsible.

The Mwaghavul Youth Movement also confirmed the attack, putting the death toll at 24. The group said several residents were injured, while homes were allegedly set ablaze and crops destroyed.

Its Director of Public Affairs, Tubwot Sunday, expressed grief and anger over the attack, saying the incident had devastated families and threatened the livelihoods of residents who depend largely on farming.

24 Victims Receive Mass Burial

Twenty-four victims of the attack have since been buried in a mass burial ceremony, while some of the injured are receiving treatment at hospitals.

President of the Mwaghavul Youth Movement, Kyesmang Jonathan, said the community was still assessing the full impact of the attack and attending to victims receiving medical care.

Women from Bin-Per also staged a peaceful protest following the killings. Carrying leaves, the protesters marched through the community, demanding urgent government action to protect residents.

One of the protesters, Ladi Joshua, said the killings had left families devastated, particularly women who lost husbands, children and other relatives.

Mutfwang Orders Increased Security

Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang directed security agencies to intensify surveillance and patrols in Mangu and other vulnerable communities following the attack.

In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Joyce Ramnap, the governor condemned the incident and described it as a disturbing development capable of undermining the peace being consolidated across the state.

The governor called for strengthened security measures to prevent further attacks and protect residents.

The ADC secretary in Plateau State, Jude Dakur, also condemned the attack, describing the killings and destruction of homes and farmlands as barbaric and unacceptable.

US Lawmaker Raises Religious-Freedom Concerns

The attack has also attracted attention in the United States, with US Congressman Riley Moore calling on the US Department of State not to remove Nigeria from its Country of Particular Concern (CPC) designation.

Reacting to reports of the killings on X, Moore alleged that Christians were being attacked with impunity in parts of Nigeria’s Middle Belt.

“This is exactly why the @StateDept cannot lift Nigeria’s CPC designation. Nothing has changed in the Middle Belt,” he wrote.

Nigeria was designated a CPC by the US State Department in December 2020 over concerns about religious-freedom violations. The designation was removed by the Biden administration in November 2021.

Security agencies had yet to publicly provide details on the identities of the attackers or confirm the circumstances surrounding the killings at the time of reporting.