Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Plateau State Government has imposed an immediate dusk-to-dawn curfew on Barkin Ladi, Bokkos and Mangu Local Government Areas following a weekend of coordinated attacks that left at least twelve people dead, including a pastor and five passengers travelling to work, and forced women and children to flee their homes as gunshots echoed across communities.
The curfew, which took effect on Monday, September 21, 2026, restricts movement between 6pm and 6am until further notice. The Commissioner for Information and Communication, Rt. Hon. Joyce Lohya Ramnap, announced the directive in a statement, saying the measure was aimed at maintaining public order, protecting lives and preventing a breakdown of law and order. "The Plateau State Government has declared an immediate, dusk-to-dawn curfew across Barkin Ladi, Bokkos and Mangu Local Government Areas to maintain public order and curb emerging security threats in the region," Ramnap said. She disclosed that security operatives had been directed to strictly enforce the curfew and a ban on the use of motorcycles across the affected areas with immediate effect. The government urged residents to plan their commercial, agricultural and personal activities around the restricted hours and reassured law-abiding citizens that security personnel deployed to enforce the measures would operate professionally.
The attacks that triggered the curfew unfolded between Saturday night and Sunday morning across Barkin Ladi, Riyom and Mangu. Five passengers travelling from Gana-Ropp in Barkin Ladi to Mangu were ambushed at about 7:30pm on Saturday when gunmen opened fire on their vehicle. The Pyem Youth Leader in Gana-Ropp, Ukasha Garba, said four passengers and the driver were killed, while one passenger survived. "The driver is from Gindiri town. He used to come to Gana almost four times a week to bring foodstuffs and return to Gindiri with passengers. Four of the victims are miners while the fifth one is the driver," Garba said. In a separate incident, a pastor and his relatives were killed on their way to church at Dorowa Babuje in Barkin Ladi on Sunday morning. A woman was killed at Baten Wereng in Riyom Local Government Area on Saturday night, while another person was killed at Ratyidi in Fan District. Three herders were also killed on Sunday in Kassa community, Barkin Ladi, when gunmen attacked their vehicle as they conveyed cattle from Bokkos to the Kara cattle market in Jos South. The Secretary of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria in Barkin Ladi, Abubakar Gambo, confirmed the incident, saying two other persons sustained injuries and were rushed to hospital.
The violence also extended to Mangu, where gunmen stormed a busy vegetable market on Friday night, killing at least three people and injuring scores of others as traders and buyers prepared to close for the day. Reports on the death toll varied, with some accounts putting the figure at five. The Mwaghavul Development Association gave its account of the circumstances surrounding the violence, which it linked to the disappearance of a missing head. The attacks formed part of a week of bloodshed that claimed at least twenty-seven lives across Plateau State between September 13 and September 20, according to figures compiled by media outlets.
The security situation in Plateau has deteriorated sharply in recent weeks. On September 13, nine passengers were killed in an attack on a Jos-bound commercial bus at Dungus Junction, Kuru, in Jos South Local Government Area, alongside a separate attack on Vodni community in Pushit District, Mangu Local Government Area. The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, visited Plateau on September 16 and pledged tougher security measures, disclosing that arrests had already been made in connection with the recent incidents. He said sustainable peace could only be achieved through continuous collaboration between security agencies and local communities. The Deputy Governor, Josephine Piyo, who represented Governor Caleb Mutfwang, appealed for the reactivation and deployment of personnel to the Mobile Police Barracks in Gashish, Barkin-Ladi, which has remained dormant since its establishment. She said full operation of the facility would significantly enhance security across Barkin-Ladi, Riyom, Bokkos and Mangu.
Governor Mutfwang has consistently condemned the violence and reaffirmed his administration's commitment to protecting lives. Speaking on Sunday at the 2026 Plateau Annual Convention of the General Council of the Assemblies of God Nigeria, North East Zone, he said he would not abandon his responsibility of securing the people. "I cannot abandon my responsibility of securing the people of Plateau State. We will protect our people with all that we have, within the ambit of the law. Plateau State will not be defeated by violence or the gun," he said. He called for unity and urged citizens to reject the pull-him-down syndrome, stressing that the state's collective strength was critical to overcoming its challenges.
The imposition of the curfew is the latest in a long series of restrictive measures imposed by the Mutfwang administration in response to recurring violence. In January 2024, the governor declared a 24-hour curfew on Mangu Local Government Area following attacks that left dozens dead. The curfew was subsequently relaxed and lifted in June 2024, only to be reimposed in April 2026 after renewed killings. In February 2026, the Chairman of Bokkos Local Government Area suspended all mining activities and imposed a curfew following deadly attacks on local miners. The state has also banned night grazing and restricted motorcycle movement after 7pm in several local government areas. The cycle of violence and the recurring imposition of curfews have become a grim rhythm in Plateau State, where communities have endured years of attacks that have displaced thousands and left deep scars.
For the residents of Barkin Ladi, Bokkos and Mangu, the curfew represents both a protective measure and a painful disruption to livelihoods that depend on daily movement and trade. Farmers cannot access their fields during the restricted hours, traders cannot operate at night, and families are confined to their homes from dusk until dawn. The ban on motorcycles, while intended to deny criminals mobility, also affects thousands of commercial riders who rely on the trade for their daily income. The government has said the measures are necessary to allow security agencies to stabilise the affected areas, and it has urged residents to cooperate. Whether the curfew will succeed in curbing the violence or become another temporary measure in an unending cycle of attack and response remains the central question for a state that has waited far too long for lasting peace.
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