A wave of deadly violence has once again swept through Plateau State, leaving the Gyenbwas community in Langai District of Mangu Local Government Area devastated. No fewer than 96 residential houses were reduced to rubble, with three lives lost and properties worth millions of naira looted during the latest round of attacks that occurred between Monday and Tuesday.
According to multiple eyewitness accounts and confirmation from local authorities, the assailants stormed the agrarian settlement in the dead of night, setting homes ablaze, destroying farmlands, and carting away valuables including food supplies, livestock, farm tools, clothing, and other household essentials. The extent of the destruction has plunged the community into grief, with hundreds of residents now displaced and in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
The traditional ruler of Langai, Alhaji Yakubu Umar, who is the Madugun Langai, confirmed the tragic incident in a statement issued to journalists in Jos on Tuesday. He described the attack as unprecedented in its scale and impact, noting that his people had long coexisted peacefully with neighbouring communities.
“This is the most devastating assault we’ve witnessed,” he lamented. “It wasn’t just homes that were burned; they took everything — foodstuffs, clothes, mattresses, farming equipment. Goods worth millions have been looted. We never anticipated this because we’ve always lived in peace with our neighbours.”
Umar disclosed that two deaths were initially recorded following the attack on Monday, but a third body was discovered on Tuesday, bringing the confirmed death toll to three. He called on both the Plateau State Government and the Mangu Local Government authorities to immediately investigate the incident and ensure that those behind the heinous act are brought to book.
He also appealed for urgent relief intervention to support affected families, many of whom are now homeless and without basic necessities.
While the identity of the attackers remains officially unconfirmed, accusations have begun to surface. Some residents have alleged that members of the Berom ethnic group may have been involved in the attack. However, this claim has been firmly rejected by the Berom Youth Moulders (BYM) Association, which in turn accused suspected Fulani militia of being behind repeated attacks in the region.
Reacting to the allegations, BYM President, Dalyop Solomon, described the accusations as baseless and misleading. He revealed that three members of the Berom community were also attacked around the same period while working on their farms and are currently receiving medical treatment.
“Our people were attacked by terrorists, and some of them are in critical condition in the hospital,” Solomon said. “It’s disingenuous for anyone to accuse the Berom community of launching assaults when in fact we are the ones constantly under siege.”
He further argued that any confrontation involving Berom youth could only have been an act of self-defense. “When our communities are attacked, our people have a legal and moral right to defend themselves, their families, and their property. If in the course of this defense, they chase off attackers, that should not be interpreted as an offensive act.”
At the time of this report, the Plateau State Government has yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident. Nonetheless, the attack has sparked widespread concern among civil society groups and community leaders who are calling for a coordinated security response to prevent a resurgence of reprisal violence.
There is growing pressure on the government to not only investigate and prosecute the perpetrators, regardless of their ethnic background or affiliations, but also to deploy immediate relief measures to assist the displaced residents and prevent further humanitarian crises in the region.
Tensions remain high in Mangu and surrounding areas, with fears of a possible escalation if swift action is not taken by security agencies and government authorities.
