Residents of Plateau State have vehemently condemned the Tuesday early hours’ attack by suspected terrorists, who invaded the Bin-Per (Dang Per) community in the Kombun/Bwai district of Mangu Local Government Area of the state, and killed 23 people, including women and children, during a night raid, with others injured, while homes and farmlands were reportedly destroyed.
According to residents, the attackers moved from house to house targeting sleeping villagers.
Reacting to the massacre, the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau State, Chief Kefas Wunggak Ropshik, condemned the attacks and described it as barbaric.
”I woke up this morning to the sadness news on the recent attacks in Rim, Wereng, Mawuri and Yelwa. The frequency, ferocity and sheer impunity with which these attacks are being perpetrated have become intolerable. Enough is enough!
”I am pained by the relentless slaughter of our people. Plateau cannot become a theatre where citizens are repeatedly murdered, communities displaced and families shattered, only for government officials to issue condolences after each tragedy.
”Condolences are no substitute for security; expressions of grief cannot resurrect the dead. The magnitude of this crisis now demands extraordinary, immediate and unequivocal action.
”I, therefore, call on the Plateau State Government to declare a state of emergency on security, and immediately convene an emergency security summit involving the relevant service chiefs, heads of security and intelligence agencies, local government chairmen, traditional rulers, community leaders, and other critical stakeholders.
”This crisis requires a unified command structure, actionable intelligence and an unrelenting operational response.
”Our security personnel must be adequately equipped and empowered to confront this menace. The state government must urgently provide operational vehicles, communications equipment, surveillance capabilities and other essential logistics.
”Operation Rainbow must be substantially strengthened, properly equipped and integrated into a robust, intelligence-driven security architecture capable of preventing attacks rather than merely responding to their aftermath.
”I urge the Governor to explore every lawful and constitutionally permissible option, including the engagement of specialised external expertise to track, identify and apprehend the perpetrators.
”Those who murder our people must understand that there will be no sanctuary, no impunity and no escape. Federal and state security agencies must also transcend institutional boundaries and operate as a single, coordinated security ecosystem.
”We need a clearly defined and measurable strategy for intelligence gathering, early warning, rapid response, community protection and the prosecution of perpetrators. Plateau requires results, not rhetoric.
”I call on the local government chairmen to suspend non-essential expenditures and redirect available resources towards strengthening local security, particularly community-based vigilance and early-warning mechanisms.
”Traditional rulers, community leaders, vigilantes, and security agencies must operate within a coordinated framework that enables intelligence to travel swiftly and threats to be neutralised before they become massacres.
”I appeal to the Governor to return immediately to Plateau, and suspend non-essential foreign engagements for the foreseeable future. A state under siege requires the physical presence, undivided attention and decisive leadership of its Governor.
”Our people must see and feel that their government is with them in this hour of profound anguish. Where is politics without the people? Are we in politics to govern the dead? What is the essence of power when those who vote for us are being killed while we retreat into comfort and bulletproof armoured vehicles?
”Enough of the killings. Enough of the excuses. Enough of the impunity. Plateau people have an inalienable right to live, farm, worship and raise their families without fear of annihilation. The time for decisive action is now,” Ropshik said.
A resident, Daniel Musa, said the attackers, who were heavily armed, moved from house to house during the attack.
“Our village came under attack last night and in the early hours on, Tuesday, by heavily armed persons,” Musa explained.
He alleged that the attackers opened the doors of residents who were asleep and attacked them.
Musa said more than 20 deaths had been recorded as of Tuesday morning, while several others sustained injuries and some residents remained missing.
Another resident, John Dalyop, confirmed the attack and described the situation as “terrible”.
Dalyop said some of the injured victims had been taken to nearby hospitals, while residents and community leaders were working to establish the whereabouts of those still missing.
He called on the government to strengthen security in Mangu and other communities considered vulnerable to attacks.
“We expected the new commissioner of police in the state to act quickly and go after those responsible,” he said.
When contacted for confirmation, the spokesperson of the Plateau State Police Command, Alfred Alabo, disconnected the call immediately the introduction was made. Subsequent calls to his telephone were not answered or returned as at the time of filing this report.
The spokesman for Berom Youth Moulders-Association, Rwang Tengwong, was reported to have said that, “We are still at the burial of the victims. I will provide further details of the incident”.
Meanwhile, the Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has directed security agencies to intensify surveillance and patrols in the affected community and other vulnerable areas of the local government.
The Plateau State Government, in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Rt Hon Joyce Lohya Ramnap, condemned the attack and described the incident as a disturbing development capable of threatening the peace and security being consolidated across the state.
Mutfwang sympathised with residents and families affected by the attack and called on the people to remain calm, warning against reprisal attacks and taking the law into their own hands.
The government said security agencies were working to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident and urged residents to provide credible and timely information that could assist in identifying and apprehending those responsible.
The statement said: “Furthermore, the Governor has called on the relevant security agencies to intensify surveillance and patrols in Bin Mper, Kombun District and other vulnerable communities in Mangu LGA, while urging residents to provide credible and timely information that could assist security personnel in identifying and apprehending those responsible.”
The government reiterated that the protection of lives and property remained a priority of the Mutfwang administration, stressing that it would continue to collaborate with traditional rulers, community leaders, youth organisations, religious leaders and security agencies to strengthen peaceful coexistence.
It also appealed to residents of Bin Mper and neighbouring communities to remain vigilant, peaceful and law-abiding and report suspicious activities to the relevant authorities.