Tension as gunmen attack Plateau market, kill 3

Gunmen on Friday evening launched an assault on a very busy cash crop market in Mangu town of Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State and killed three people while injuring several others.

According to the residents of Mangu town, the attack took place at about 8:30 p.m. as the traders and buyers were getting ready to shut down their businesses for the day.

The President of the Mwaghavul Development Association (MDA), Bulus Dabit, who confirmed the incident, said the gunmen fled immediately after the attack adding that the victims included both women and men.

Dabit said the identities of the victims were not immediately known, adding that those injured had been referred to the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) for treatment.

“At about 8 p.m. on Friday, gunmen shot several times at a vehicle leaving the vegetable market in Mangu, killing two women and a young man. The names of the victims are not known yet. Several passersby were seriously injured and were referred to the Jos University Teaching Hospital for treatment,” he said.

The MDA president expressed surprise that the attack occurred despite the recent deployment of hundreds of soldiers to the area following attacks last month that left many people dead in some parts of Mangu LGA.

He urged security agencies to deploy technology and other intelligence-gathering methods to track the locations of suspected attackers and apprehend them before they carry out further attacks.