Mutfwang seeks calm, PDP demands security
At least 24 people were killed in a fresh attack on Bin Mper community in Kombun District of Mangu Local Government, Plateau State, sparking widespread outrage, a protest by women in the affected community and renewed calls for stronger security measures across the state.
The attack, which occurred between late Monday and the early hours of yesterday, heightened fears of renewed violence in vulnerable communities in Mangu, with the victims subsequently given a mass burial.
Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang condemned the attack and appealed to residents to remain calm and resist any attempt at reprisal, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the state, Chief Kefas Wungak Ropshik, called for the declaration of a state of emergency on security.
The Action Democratic Congress (ADC) also condemned the killings, describing the attack as barbaric, senseless and unacceptable, and called for immediate action to protect vulnerable communities and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The Plateau State Government, in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Rt. Hon. Joyce Lohya Ramnap, described the attack as disturbing and a threat to the peace and security being consolidated across the state.
Mutfwang sympathised with the affected families and residents and directed security agencies to intensify surveillance and patrols in Bin Mper, Kombun District and other vulnerable communities in Mangu .
He also urged residents to provide credible and timely information that could assist security agencies in identifying and apprehending those responsible.
The governor reiterated that the protection of lives and property remained a priority of his administration and called on traditional rulers, community leaders, youth organisations, religious leaders and residents to support efforts aimed at preventing further escalation.
But Ropshik said the latest attack showed that the state’s security situation required more than condolences and routine responses.
He described the killings as another massacre coming on the heels of attacks in communities including Rim, Wereng, Mawuri and Yelwa.
“The frequency, ferocity and sheer impunity with which these attacks are being perpetrated have become intolerable. Enough is enough,” he said.
Ropshik called on Mutfwang to declare a state of emergency on security and immediately convene an emergency security summit involving service chiefs, heads of security and intelligence agencies, local government chairmen, traditional rulers, community leaders and other critical stakeholders.
He advocated a unified command structure, improved intelligence gathering, stronger surveillance, rapid response and better equipment for security personnel.
He also called for the strengthening of Operation Rainbow, saying it should form part of a robust, intelligence-driven security architecture capable of preventing attacks rather than merely responding to them.
Ropshik further urged the government to explore all lawful and constitutionally permissible options, including specialised external expertise where necessary, to identify and apprehend perpetrators.
“Those who murder our people must understand that there will be no sanctuary, no impunity and no escape,” he said.
He also urged local government chairmen to suspend non-essential expenditure and redirect available resources towards local security, particularly community-based vigilance and early-warning mechanisms.
ADC: Killings unacceptable
The ADC, in a separate reaction, said the attack represented a grave assault on human life and the security of citizens.
The party’s state publicity secretary, Jude Eli Dakar, commiserated with the affected community and condemned the killing of residents who, according to him, were asleep in their homes when the attack occurred.
Dakar expressed concern over the destruction of homes, farmlands and property and urged security agencies to immediately mobilise to track down the perpetrators.
He insisted that those responsible must be identified, arrested and brought to justice.
The ADC’s reaction came as women from Bin Mper and neighbouring communities staged a peaceful protest over the killings.
The women marched through the community carrying leaves and calling for urgent government intervention to protect lives and property.
Their spokesperson, Mrs Ladi Joshua, said the women were devastated by the loss of husbands, children, relatives and other members of the community.
She appealed for an end to the recurring attacks and demanded stronger protection for the affected communities.
The protest came shortly after the 24 victims were given a mass burial.
Speaking at the burial, President of the Mwaghavul Youth Movement, Kyesmang Jonathan, said about three other residents were critically injured and receiving treatment.
Jonathan described the killings as a painful loss to the community and urged the government and security agencies to take urgent steps to protect vulnerable communities and prevent further bloodshed.
He also called for the arrest and prosecution of those responsible.
Meanwhile, Mwaghavul youths in Mangu LG have blamed both the state and Federal Governments for failing to adequately protect residents from incessant attacks.
The youths expressed regret that the killings continued despite the presence of security operatives in the area.
In a statement yesterday, the Mwaghavul Youth Movement (MYM) expressed deep grief, anger and dissatisfaction over the deadly attack on Bin Mper, a community in Kombun District, where armed attackers reportedly invaded the area, killing 24 people and injuring several others.
The statement, signed by the Director of Public Affairs of the Mwaghavul Youth Movement, Tubwot Joël Sunday, on behalf of the president, Kyesmang Jonathan Yusuf, condemned the attack and criticised what it described as the failure of government to protect law-abiding citizens.
The youths said that beyond the tragic loss of lives, homes were reportedly set ablaze and crops destroyed, leaving families devastated and further threatening the livelihoods of residents who depend largely on agriculture.
The MYM said the scale of destruction was not merely an attack on individuals but an attack on an entire community, its dignity, livelihood and future.
“What is particularly disturbing to the Movement is that this tragedy occurred despite the existence of a security architecture that is supposed to protect citizens and their communities.
“The repeated attacks on vulnerable communities raise serious questions about the effectiveness, responsiveness and commitment of the government and security system in protecting innocent citizens,” the group said.
The Mwaghavul Youth Movement said it was deeply concerned that communities were increasingly being left to defend themselves against heavily armed attackers, stressing that the casualties would have been significantly higher but for the courage, vigilance and intervention of youths who stood guard over their communities.
While commending youths of the attacked community and neighbouring communities for what it described as extraordinary courage and resilience in protecting their people, the MYM said citizens should not have to become their own soldiers before they could sleep safely in their homes.
“We strongly reject the idea that community self-defence should become a substitute for a functional security system.
“We emphasise that young people should be in schools, farms, businesses and other productive ventures, not permanently stationed on community guard posts because the government has failed to provide adequate protection,” the group said.
The MYM demanded a transparent investigation into the Bin Mper attack and other attacks across Mangu LGA and Plateau State, including the circumstances surrounding the security response before, during and after the latest incident.
It also demanded that those responsible for the killings and destruction be identified, arrested and brought to justice.
The youths called on Governor Mutfwang and the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently reassess the security situation across vulnerable communities and take concrete measures to prevent further attacks.
The latest attack has therefore produced a convergence of government condemnation, opposition demands, an ADC intervention, community protests and youth outrage, all centred on the same question: how to stop the recurring killings in Plateau State.
While the Mutfwang administration has urged calm and intensified security operations, opposition politicians and affected residents are demanding a more decisive and coordinated response.
For the grieving families in Bin Mper, however, the immediate demands remain the same: security, justice and an end to the killings.
