Plateau: Gunmen kill 3 vigilantes, 4 miners die in pit collapse

Not less than seven people have been killed in two different occurrences within Plateau State with three vigilantes losing their lives following an attack from gunmen in Mangu LGA and four suspected illegal miners losing their lives following the collapse of a sand pit in Bokkos LGA.

Three vigilantes of the Mwaghavul vigilante group were attacked and killed by gunmen at Kyikyau-Gyambwas boundary in Mangu Halle District of Mangu LGA on Tuesday night.

The attack occurred at about 9:39 p.m., according to the Mwaghavul Youth Movement (MYM).

The group said the incident happened while the dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed by the Plateau State Government was still in effect in parts of the state.

The four other victims were reportedly suspected illegal miners who died after a sand pit collapsed in Bokkos Local Government Area.

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

In a statement signed by its Director of Public Affairs, Tubwot Joël Sunday, for the President of the movement, Comr. Kyesmang Jonathan Yusuf, the MYM condemned the attack and called for an immediate review of the curfew arrangement in Mangu.

The group said the three victims were among residents keeping watch over their community when they were ambushed.

“The Mwaghavul Youth Movement is deeply disturbed that this deadly attack occurred during the period of the newly imposed 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew, a measure introduced by the Plateau State Government with the stated objective of protecting lives and enabling security agencies to stabilise affected communities,” the statement said.

The movement questioned the effectiveness of the curfew if armed criminals could still move and attack communities during the restricted hours.

“If law-abiding citizens are confined to their homes from 6:00 p.m., while armed Fulani criminals continue to move, attack and kill with impunity during the same period, who is the curfew ultimately protecting?” it asked.

The MYM expressed concern that the present implementation of the curfew could leave vulnerable communities at a disadvantage, particularly those that rely on organised vigilance to protect their homes, farms and families.

“We call on the Government to note that criminals do not obey curfews and only law-abiding citizens do,” the group said.

It therefore called on the Plateau State Government and security agencies to immediately review the curfew arrangement in Mangu, particularly its implications for communities exposed to attacks after dusk.

The movement stressed that it was not calling for the abandonment of measures aimed at protecting lives, but demanded that the measures be reviewed and strengthened to ensure that vulnerable communities were not left defenceless.

“If the curfew is to remain in force, security agencies must ensure that affected communities receive adequate protection during the restricted hours, including effective patrols, rapid-response capacity, intelligence-driven operations and appropriate engagement with recognised community vigilance structures,” the statement added.

In a separate incident, four suspected illegal miners died following the collapse of a sand excavation pit at Tangur community in Bokkos Local Government Area.

A resident, Maren Jacob, told newsmen that the incident occurred at about 2:20 p.m. on Tuesday.

Jacob said the victims were engaged in sand excavation along a river line in the community when the pit collapsed on them.

According to him, the bodies were recovered by their relatives for burial rites.

Efforts to get reaction from security operatives at the time of sending this report were unsuccessful.