At least 24 people have been killed in a gunmen attack on Binper community in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, with several others injured and some residents initially reported missing.
Residents said the attackers struck between Monday night and the early hours of Tuesday, moving from house to house and attacking people while they slept.
An eyewitness, Daniel Musa, said the gunmen were heavily armed and forced their way into residents’ homes during the attack.
“Our village came under attack last night and in the early hours of today by heavily armed persons,” Musa said, adding that the attackers killed residents inside their homes.
Another resident, John Dalyop, described the attack as terrible and called for a swift response from the security authorities. He urged the state and federal governments to strengthen security around vulnerable communities in Mangu and other parts of Plateau State.
The Mwaghavul Youth Movement also confirmed that 24 people were killed. The group said several residents sustained injuries, while homes were reportedly set ablaze and crops destroyed.
Its Director of Public Affairs, Tubwot Sunday, expressed grief and anger over the incident, saying the attack had devastated families and threatened the livelihoods of residents, many of whom depended on farming.
The group also questioned the effectiveness of existing security arrangements, arguing that repeated attacks on vulnerable communities had continued despite the presence of security agencies.
The killings sparked a peaceful protest by women from the Binper community in Ruff, Kombun District. The protesters marched with leaves and called for urgent government intervention to protect their communities.
One of the protesters, Mrs Ladi Joshua, said the women were devastated by the loss of their husbands, children, relatives and other community members.
The 24 victims were later given a mass burial, while those injured in the attack continued to receive treatment in hospitals. President of the Mwaghavul Youth Movement, Kyesmang Jonathan, said the community was still struggling with the impact of the killings.
The Plateau State chapter of the African Democratic Congress also condemned the attack, describing the killing of residents in their homes as barbaric and unacceptable.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang has since directed security agencies to intensify surveillance and patrols in the affected community and other vulnerable parts of Mangu Local Government Area.
The directive followed reports that homes and farmlands were destroyed during the attack. The governor, through the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Joyce Ramnap, described the incident as a disturbing threat to the peace being consolidated across the state.
Meanwhile, United States Congressman Riley Moore reacted to reports of the killings by urging the US State Department not to remove Nigeria from its Country of Particular Concern designation.
Moore said the latest attack reinforced concerns about continued violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, while calling for stronger action to address the killings.
