Crime
killings: Plateau, Benue gunmen kill 44, youths deposit corpses at Govt House
Protests on Wednesday rocked Jos, the Plateau State capital, following the killing of 36 persons in an attack on the Yelwa Zangam community in the Jos North Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday.
This was just as eight persons were allegedly killed by suspected herders in the Yelwata community, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State on Tuesday.
Several people were said to have been injured and one person was allegedly abducted during the attack.
Angry youths stormed some hospitals, including the Plateau State Specialist Hospital, Jos, where they seized corpses of the victims of the attack, went round with them in a truck before depositing them at the Government House.
There was tension in the local government following the attack as youths berated the state government for failing to protect the residents.
Recall that there was tension in Jos on August 14, when a group of youths along the Rukuba Road in the Jos North Local Government Area killed 22 persons, who were among passengers of five buses being conveyed from Bauchi State to Ikare Akoko in Ondo State.
The travellers had gone back to Bauchi State for an Islamic programme and were on their way back to Ondo State when they were attacked.
On Wednesday, Jos was enveloped in tension again following the killing of 35 persons in Ahwol Ward of the Naraguta community in the same local government area the previous night.
It was learnt that around 10pm on Tuesday, gunmen stormed the Yelwa Zangam community and killed no fewer than 36 persons and injured many others, who were rushed to the Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Jos, for treatment.
It was gathered that when the gunmen got to the community, they were shooting in every direction before they went from house to house and gunned down many residents.
The paramount ruler of the Anaguta ethnic nationality in the state, Johnson Jauro, confirmed the attack to The PUNCH in Jos on Wednesday.
“I have been informed that some gunmen attacked my people last night (Tuesday) in the Naraguta community with many casualties. But we are still investigating to know what really happened,” he stated.
The Councillor for the Ahwol Ward, Yusuf Ali, who also confirmed the attack, said more than 20 persons were burnt alive in the affected area.
Another resident, Jeremiah Bulus, said, “Sixteen additional corpses have been taken to the mortuary this morning and people are still making efforts to recover more corpses from several houses, which the gunmen set ablaze. The situation is really bad for the people.”
According to the councillor, the gunmen first destroyed the iron bridge linking the community before attacking the residents, which made it difficult for security agents to access the area when they were contacted about the attack.
He said, “The gunmen were just shooting in every direction when they arrived in the community around 10pm. For now, more than 10 dead bodies have been recovered and we are still searching for more victims, because the shooting was heavy.
“While the attack was going on, the chairman of the local government called the security agents to mobilise to the area, but it was discovered that the gunmen had destroyed the iron bridge linking the community.
“They destroyed the bridge probably to prevent security agents from having access to the community so that they could execute their evil agenda unhindered and that was exactly what happened. We are in pain because our people have been cheated.”
A few hours after the attack, it was gathered that angry protesters stormed some hospitals, including the Plateau State Specialist Hospital, Jos, where the corpses of the victims were deposited.
Eyewitnesses said the protesters dragged about 15 corpses into a waiting van and marched through the state House of Assembly complex to the Little Rayfield Government House, where they deposited them in front of the two gates.
It was learnt that at the roundabout in front of the Little Rayfield Government House, the protesters destroyed Governor Simon Lalong’s giant billboard that had the inscription, ‘Peace, Unity and Progress’.
They were, however, prevented from entering the Government House by security operatives, who mounted roadblocks at the road leading to the gates.
The security agents also fired teargas canisters to disperse the surging protesters, but the irate youths took the corpses in the vehicle from the roundabout and made their way to the front of the Government House gate, where they dumped the corpses one after another.
One of the protesters, Yusuf Jeremiah, who said he took five of the corpses to the Government House gate, said that the youths were not happy with the government’s handling of the security situation in the state.
Jeremiah said, “How can we have a government in place and over 36 persons were killed in a community without anything being done to stop the attackers? What is the job of those in government if it cannot protect the lives and property of the people? Is it that those in government want to eat the bodies of those killed? If that is what they want, we have decided to bring the dead bodies to the Government House.
Another protester, who refused to give his name, said, “The killings are too much in the state. There is hardly a day without stories of attacks and killings. For how long shall we continue like this? All through the time the protest lasted in front of the Government House, no government official came out to address us. So, we left the corpses for them there.”
It was gathered that the corpses were later evacuated and taken back to the morgue by security operatives.
The spokesman for the Plateau Police Command, Ubah Ogaba, could not be reached for comments.
But the Operation Safe Haven, in a statement by its spokesman, Ishaku Takwa, said the troops mobilised to save the community were slowed down by the destruction of the link bridge by the marauders.
He stated, “The attackers came in the night and started shooting unsuspecting members of the community from house to house. The gunmen also destroyed houses and the bridge linking the town to the community, making access to the area difficult for security agencies.
“Troops of the Operation Safe Haven, who were mobilised to save the community, were slowed down by the destruction of the bridge by the marauders.
As a result of the incident, Lalong re-imposed a 24-hour curfew on the Jos North Local Government Area.
The 24-hour curfew earlier imposed on the council area alongside Jos South and Bassa by the governor was relaxed last week from dusk to dawn.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Governor’s Director of Press and Public Affairs, Government House, Macham Makut, said the decision to re-impose the curfew, which began by 4pm on Wednesday, followed imminent threat to lives and property in the area.
The statement said, “The Plateau State Government has reinstated the 24-hour curfew earlier relaxed in the Jos North Local Government Area following growing tension arising from the attack on Yelwa Zangam village of the local government, where people were killed and properties destroyed.
“According to Governor Simon Lalong, the 24-hour curfew will come into force from 4pm today, Wednesday, August 25, 2021, until further notice.
“The proactive decision became necessary following imminent threat to lives and property within the local government area and the need to forestall the breakdown of law and order. It will also enable security agencies to deploy appropriately to maintain security as the search for the attackers of the villagers continues.”
CAN condemns killings, demands compensation for bereaved families
Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria, Jos North chapter, has condemned the fresh killings.
It said this on Wednesday in a statement signed by the Coordinator, CAN, Jos North, Rev Polycarp Gana, and Secretary, Rev Ezekiel Nyam.
The statement reads in part, ‘ We reiterate and condemn aggressively these killings and attacks on innocent citizens in their homes and the provocative statements by clerics, who should be preaching understanding and solidarity to fish out the bad eggs in our communities.
“We condemn provocative statements at these times when we should be trying to assuage frayed nerves with words from the holy books, which should build rather than further tear apart.
“CAN calls on the government to visit and compensate the families of the victims affected by the incident and appeals to Christians to stand firm and defend themselves.”
Lalong later confirmed that 10 persons had been arrested in connection with the attack.
The governor, who condemned the fresh attack in a statement by Makut, warned that those behind the killings would not go unpunished
The statement read in part, “Governor Simon Bako Lalong is appalled by yet another isolated attack, which took place at the Yelwa Zangam village of the Jos North Local Government Area on Tuesday night, where properties were destroyed and some people killed.
“The governor totally condemns this barbaric act and directs security agencies, which have already arrested 10 suspects in connection with the attack, to intensify efforts in tracking down the other assailants and their sponsors in order to bring them to justice.
Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya, has condemned the reprisals that followed the recent killings in Jos, Plateau State, urging residents to remain calm.
Yahaya spoke at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday, after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Ibrahim Gambari.
PUNCH.
The Kano State Police Command has rescued nine passengers who were abducted after armed bandits attacked a commercial bus along the Jos-Kano highway in Doguwa Local Government Area of the state.
The command’s spokesperson, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday in Kano, saying the incident occurred at about 5:30 p.m. on July 26.
According to him, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Doguwa Division received a distress call reporting that a Toyota Hiace bus, with registration number BKK 6824 XA, travelling from Jos to Kano, had been attacked around the Folgore Forest axis, between Gate Two Safer Highway and Dogo Dutse.
Kiyawa said five suspected armed bandits, reportedly armed with machetes and a firearm, blocked the highway, attacked the vehicle and abducted 13 of the 20 passengers on board.
He said the DPO immediately mobilised tactical police operatives to the scene, where they engaged the attackers in a gun battle.
The police spokesperson said the swift intervention of the operatives led to the rescue of nine victims, while another male passenger later escaped from captivity.
He, however, disclosed that three victims — one male and two females — remained in the custody of the abductors.
The rescued passengers were taken to Doguwa General Hospital for medical evaluation and were reported to be in stable condition.
Kiyawa said the command had intensified operations, deploying additional tactical teams and enhancing intelligence gathering efforts to secure the release of the remaining victims and apprehend the perpetrators.
The Commissioner of Police in Kano State, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, commended members of the public for providing timely information that contributed to the rescue operation.
Bakori reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property and urged residents to continue reporting suspicious activities to security agencies.
He added that investigations into the incident were ongoing, assuring that further updates would be made available to the public.
The arrest was effected by troops of Operation Hadin Kai according to an X post by security professional, Zagazola Makama.
Identifying the suspect as Private Mohammed Yusuf of the Nigerian Army Ordnance Training Facility, NAOTF, Lagos with service number: 23NA/84/1939, Makama said he was apprehended by troops of 7 Provost Group led by the Acting Commander at about 6:30pm on July 25, 2026 by.
He had earlier absconded from his unit and travelled to Maiduguri on July 7, 2026, where he allegedly went into hiding.
This made the army high command to declare him wanted.
According to Makama, “The suspect is currently in the custody of the 7 Provost Group, where he is undergoing further investigation into the alleged supply of military accoutrements to terrorist elements and the possible involvement of other collaborators.
“The arrest is a significant breakthrough in ongoing efforts to dismantle insider networks aiding terrorist groups, adding that investigations are continuing to establish the full extent of the suspect’s activities and identify any accomplices,” Makama said.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a 55-year-old Lagos businessman, Onuigbo Ndubisi Chinedu, over an alleged attempt to export 3.30kg of cocaine concealed in the walls of cartons used to package foodstuffs destined for the United Kingdom.
The NDLEA said Chinedu, a clothing trader at the popular Balogun Market on Lagos Island, was arrested on Thursday, July 23, 2026, following the interception of the cocaine consignment at the export shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, a day earlier.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, three cargo agents—Nkwor Onyekachukwu Justina, Adeleke Abiola Taoheed and Ukanwa Grace Pilgrim—were initially arrested for handling the shipment.
The agency said their arrests led to the apprehension of Kenneth Okakpu, who allegedly delivered the consignment to the cargo agents for shipment to the UK.
Okakpu’s arrest, according to the NDLEA, provided investigators with information that led to the identification of Chinedu as the alleged kingpin behind the operation. He was subsequently arrested while allegedly attempting to send another consignment of cocaine to the UK.
In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives arrested a 31-year-old entrepreneur, Emmanuella Chukwu-Edo, at her residence in Surulere, Lagos, following the seizure of 2.80kg of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis.
The agency said the consignment arrived from the United States aboard a United Airlines flight on Monday, July 20, 2026, before Chukwu-Edo was arrested the following day.
Also at the Lagos airport, NDLEA operatives recovered 2.24 million pills of Tapentadol 250mg, with an estimated street value of over N2.2bn, from a shipment that arrived from India aboard an Air Maroc flight.
The agency said the recovery followed intelligence-led operations and a joint examination of the cargo on Friday, July 24.
This came shortly after NDLEA operatives intercepted a consignment of tramadol concealed inside containers of black soap and allegedly destined for the UK at a courier company in Lagos on Wednesday, July 22.
At the Apapa Seaport in Lagos, NDLEA operatives also uncovered 4,777 sachets of Canadian Loud weighing 2,388.5kg, with an estimated street value of over N7.1bn.
The drugs were allegedly concealed inside three vehicles packed in a shipping container. The consignment was uncovered during a joint examination on Monday, July 20.
In Katsina State, NDLEA operatives arrested 30-year-old Mustapha Sani during a patrol operation at Baure, Safana Local Government Area, and recovered 323 rounds of military-grade ammunition allegedly concealed on him.
The ammunition reportedly comprised 200 rounds of 7.62mm and 123 rounds of 7.6mm.
Another suspect, 30-year-old Abubakar Amadu, was arrested during a stop-and-search operation at Jere, along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway, with 73 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition allegedly concealed inside kegs of red oil.
The NDLEA said both suspects had been handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.
Meanwhile, in Edo State, the agency said its operatives recovered 1,286kg of cannabis and 86kg of cannabis seeds during a raid on a warehouse in Ilushi community, Esan South-East Local Government Area, on Sunday, July 19.
The operation also led to the arrest of 45-year-old Ojore Onweze, who was allegedly found with 60kg of skunk, and 30-year-old George Agwumede, who was allegedly arrested with 13kg of the same substance.
According to a statement on Friday, the arrested officers are: “AP/No. 207454, ASP Elomore Sodayo; AP/No. 332012, Inspector Adefila Adewale; AP/No. 332449, Inspector Olorunfemi Opeyemi; and AP/No. 332369, Inspector Odusola Peter.”
Speaking at the command headquarters in Akure on Friday, the state Commissioner of Police, Felix Ohagwu, said the police had zero tolerance for indiscipline and unprofessional conduct.
He added that a comprehensive investigation had been ordered to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine the level of culpability of each officer involved.
He added that officers were expected to conduct themselves with the utmost professionalism, respect human dignity and comply strictly with the Force’s Code of Conduct and Standard Operating Procedures.
“The Nigeria Police Force is a disciplined and professional institution that does not condone any form of misconduct, incivility, or actions capable of undermining public confidence, promoting ethnic division, or bringing the Force into disrepute,” the commissioner said.
He assured the public that the investigation would be conducted to determine the facts of the case, adding that any officer found culpable would face appropriate disciplinary action.
This was said to be part of renewed efforts to tackle insecurity.
Disu gave the directive on Friday during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
According to the IG, the order followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive that the persistent insecurity in Benue State must be brought to an end.
He stressed that only authorised security personnel were legally permitted to bear firearms, warning that the era of passive policing was over.
“You cannot move around freely carrying arms as if there is no law and order in this country. It will not be tolerated,” he said.
Disu disclosed that police officers had been empowered under Force Order 237 to respond decisively to armed threats without waiting for directives from superior officers.
“We are tired of losing our men. We are tired of police officers, soldiers, and other members of the security agencies dying anyhow.
“They have been instructed to shoot at sight. They have been trained to do what is necessary. But we will not succeed without the cooperation of all of you.”
He called on residents to support security agencies with credible information, stressing that public cooperation remains critical to the fight against armed criminality.
Benue State has witnessed repeated attacks by armed groups in recent months, resulting in the loss of lives, displacement of residents and destruction of property.
The federal government has continued to deploy additional security personnel and adopt tougher measures aimed at restoring peace in the state.
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