Crime
Gunmen attack Plateau again, kill 3, Peter Obi visits, donates N10m to IDPs
A former governor of Plateau state, Jonah Jang, has condemned what he described as the continued attacks and killing of innocent citizens in Plateau communities by gunmen.
Jang’s condemnation came on the heels of the invasion of 25 communities in Barkin Ladi,Bokkos and Mangu communities by gunmen which left over 150 persons dead on Christmas Eve.
This was just as gunmen killed three youths in fresh attack in Bokkos Local Government Area.
Mallai said, “Some three youths from Angwan Hausawa, Bokkos town; Lurwan Ismail, Muhammadu Tuka, and Mayo, were killed yesterday (Friday) at Lut, one of the communities earlier attacked by assailants on Christmas eve. They went there to pick up their loved ones who escaped to Bokkos town as IDPs when they were killed. Their bodies are missing.”
In a statement issued on Saturday titled, ‘Plateau killings: One too many and the need for state police’, Jang said the Federal Government must do everything possible to stop further attacks and killings in the state and other parts of the country.
According to the statement signed by his media consultant, Clinton Garuba, the former governor said, “It is with a grieving heart that Senator Jonah David Jang wishes to commiserate with the families that lost loved ones during the Christmas Eve attack on communities in Bokkos and Barkin Ladi local government areas of Plateau State.
“This dastardly act has once again tampered with the peace of our dear state as it was orchestrated by people who are hell-bent on ensuring that the ordinary Plateau man does not enjoy the serenity God, through nature, has bestowed on him.
“Choosing to murder harmless villagers in their homes as they prepared to celebrate the Yuletide is the most horrendous wickedness that anyone could imagine. None of the hundreds of our people who lost their lives in the Christmas Eve attack by marauding terrorists envisaged that their lives would be cut short in such a gruesome manner.
“The killings on the Plateau would seem to have gone on unabated as the non-arrest and prosecution of perpetrators have bolstered the serial killers to carry out more and more killings.
“That these killers are out on a cleansing agenda and plan to take over the lands of the people they try to wipe out is no longer hidden.
“While we agree with the President that the culprits must be apprehended and made to face prosecution, we must note that these directives have been issued repeatedly. Yet, neither arrests nor prosecutions have been made in the past. It is therefore pertinent that at this point, there is the need to attend to the call for state police as part of measures for boosting security, ensuring early response in crises and confronting the challenges of insecurity headlong.
“A situation where state governors have no powers to immediately deploy personnel to quell attacks and confront marauding terrorists is worrisome. The killings are getting out of hand and the state police option is viable for nipping these massacres in the bud. States should be given the power to create, train and equip their police to enable State Governors to deal with peculiar security situations in their various states.
More than ever, the time to heed the call for state policing is now.”
Meanwhile, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, on Saturday visited Plateau State over the killings in the state.
Obi who arrived in Bokkos around 4pm was said to have moved straight to the camps of the internally displaced persons in the locality.
He was received by the Bokkos Local Government Chairman, Monday Kassam.
The chairman of the Community Peace Observers in the LGA, Kefas Mallai, who confirmed Obi’s visit to the victims in Bokkos LGA said, “Peter Obi just visited IDP camps in Bokkos. He arrived at about 4pm of today (Saturday) December 30, 2023.
According to him, when some citizens are in IDP camps then Nigeria is in IDP camp.
After observing a minute of silence, he condoled with the IDPs in the camps and promised to send N10m into the IDP support account as managed by a committee set up by the TIC Chairman, Bokkos LGC, Monday Kasah, who spoke about the 12 officially recognised IDP camps in the area.
In another development, the Defence Headquarters has refuted allegations of mistreating women in Plateau State.
A video circulating on social media had alleged women in Plateau State were being maltreated by soldiers attached to Operation Rainbow.
The allegation came one week after some terrorists invaded some communities in the state, leading to the death of about 200 persons.
Reacting to the allegation, the Director, Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau, on Saturday noted that the video in circulation was an incident that took place in Borno State in 2021.
He noted that the soldiers involved in the act were adequately punished.
The statement read in part, “DHQ wishes to clarify that the soldiers involved in the aforementioned incident were then promptly sanctioned and dealt with by the military authority at the time it occurred for their unprofessional conduct. The dissemination of this old video, with a misleading location tag, is causing unnecessary alarm and has the potential to exacerbate the security situation on the Plateau.”
He, however, urged those behind the circulation of the video to stop, noting that their actions could fuel the security challenges in the state.
Two police officers have been killed after suspected armed herders ambushed the convoy of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Ayilamo, Logo Local Government Area of Benue State.
The latest attack occurred on Monday evening, barely four days after another deadly incident in the community reportedly left four policemen and seven residents dead.
Community sources said the DPO had travelled to Makurdi on official duty and was returning to Ayilamo when his entourage came under attack.
One of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the victims were among newly deployed Mobile Police officers stationed in the area.
He said the officers were attacked at about 6pm while travelling from Ayilamo to escort the DPO back to the community from Makurdi.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, DSP Peter Aondongu, said two officers attached to the DPO’s entourage were killed in the attack.
“The DPO came to Makurdi to collect some things, and while returning to Ayilamo, he was attacked and lost two of his men in the attack,” Aondongu said.
The latest incident has raised fresh concerns over the security situation in Ayilamo, where repeated attacks have resulted in casualties among security personnel and residents.
The Nigeria Police Force has placed its formations nationwide on red alert following intelligence reports of planned terrorist attacks on worship centres, schools, NYSC orientation camps and other public places.
The alert followed fresh intelligence indicating increased mobilisation of terrorist elements for possible coordinated attacks on vulnerable targets across the country.
Police authorities also reportedly received intelligence on the movement of armed elements from Katsina through Kaduna towards Plateau State.
The operational order was contained in a police wireless message dated September 13, 2026, with reference number CB: 0900/FDPS/DOPS/FHQ/ABJ/VOL38/68, issued by the Department of Operations at Force Headquarters, Abuja.
Marked “Security General” and tagged “Treat as Very Important,” the message was circulated to Assistant Inspectors-General of Police overseeing Zones 1–17, Mobile Police formations, counter-terrorism and other specialised units, as well as Commissioners of Police in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The police directed formations to intensify vigilance and take proactive measures to prevent criminal and terrorist elements from carrying out attacks.
The warning specifically highlighted places of worship, educational institutions, NYSC orientation camps and other vulnerable public locations as potential targets.
A 16-year-old boy, Favour Ayogu, who was allegedly abducted in Igboeze South Local Government Area of Enugu State, has been rescued in Onitsha, Anambra State, after his abductors reportedly abandoned him near a security checkpoint.
Ayogu was rescued on the evening of September 13, 2026, by a joint security patrol team operating along Oguta Road, Onitsha.
According to the Anambra State Police Command, the teenager was found at Ekene Junction after unidentified persons reportedly pushed him out of a black Toyota Highlander SUV close to a security checkpoint.
The patrol team immediately intervened and rescued the victim, thereby preventing what the police described as further danger to his life.
Following the rescue, the Command said it had intensified surveillance and intelligence-led operations to identify and apprehend members of the suspected criminal gang responsible for the abduction.
The police also appealed to residents of Igboeze South and Ibagwa-Aka in Enugu State who may have useful information about Ayogu or his family to contact the nearest police station or the Anambra State Police Command in Awka.
The Commissioner of Police, Anambra State, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, commended the security personnel involved in the rescue and directed officers to sustain strategic checkpoints, intelligence-led patrols and coordinated security operations across the state.
The Command assured residents and visitors that it would continue to intensify efforts to prevent criminal elements from using Anambra as a safe haven.
At least nine passengers have been killed after gunmen opened fire on a commercial bus at Dungus Junction in Kuru community, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The attack reportedly occurred around 9:40 p.m. when the bus, which was travelling towards Jos, stopped at the junction to drop off some passengers.
Several other passengers were reportedly injured in the attack and rushed to hospitals for treatment.
Lawan Suleiman, a neighbour and teacher of one of the victims, identified the driver as Ibrahim and said three of the victims were from his community in Bukuru.
“The driver is Ibrahim and he was my student. Three of them are from our community here in Bukuru. Their bodies have been deposited at the hospital. But relatives are preparing to collect them for burial,” Suleiman said.
The bus was reportedly riddled with bullets, with bloodstains visible inside the vehicle after the attack.
Rwang Tengwong, spokesman for the Berom Youth Moulders (BYM), also confirmed the incident, saying the victims were passengers travelling to Jos when the attackers opened fire on the vehicle.
Tengwong said one of those killed was a member of Operation Rainbow.
“The incident happened around 9.40 p.m. The victims were all passengers travelling to Jos when the terrorists opened fire on the vehicle. Among those killed was a member of Operation Rainbow. It is a very sad development and we lament the loss of lives,” he said.
He added that some passengers sustained gunshot injuries and were taken to hospitals, while some of the injured reportedly later died.
The attack has raised fresh concerns over the safety of commuters travelling along the route at night amid continuing security challenges in parts of Plateau State.
As of the time of filing this report, the Plateau State Police Command had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
The Enugu State Police Command has ordered an investigation into two separate incidents of alleged disruption of political gatherings in Nkanu West Local Government Area of the state.
The incidents reportedly occurred on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at Ndiuno-Obuoffia community and St. Joseph Primary School, Agbani.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Command’s spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, said the Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to thoroughly investigate the incidents and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.
According to the statement, armed hoodlums allegedly disrupted a National Democratic Congress (NDC) ward meeting at Ndiuno-Obuoffia with sporadic gunshots, leaving two attendees injured.
In a separate incident at St. Joseph Primary School, Agbani, hoodlums allegedly destroyed canopies and chairs arranged for a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rally.
The police said operatives were promptly deployed to both locations after receiving reports of the incidents to prevent further breaches of peace and track down the fleeing suspects.
The Command, however, noted that neither of the political gatherings had been formally brought to the attention of the police for security coverage.
CP Giwa reiterated his warning that all political activities in the state must be conducted peacefully and in accordance with the law.
He stressed that electoral offences are punishable under the law and warned political parties, candidates, supporters and other stakeholders against violence, intimidation, destruction of property and other acts capable of disrupting public peace or the electoral process.
The Commissioner urged political parties and other stakeholders to notify the police ahead of campaigns, meetings, rallies and other political gatherings to enable the Command to make adequate security arrangements.
He assured residents that the police would continue to maintain a peaceful and secure environment for lawful political activities while dealing decisively with anyone found violating the law.
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