Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The gunmen came at 1am. They came for the men who had volunteered to keep watch while everyone else slept. By the time they left, three vigilantes lay dead in Gassa community, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, including the youth leader. The attackers slipped away into the darkness, and the soldiers stationed nearby did not stop them.
By Friday morning, the community had had enough. Women and youths poured onto the streets and blocked the major highway linking Gassa to Mangu. They were not just protesting the killings. They were protesting the soldiers who stood by while their protectors were slaughtered. "We are tired of people being killed, and security operatives would just sit and do nothing," said Mrs Esther Pam, one of the protesters. "We urge them to go after their attackers." The protesters called on the soldiers to leave the community, saying their presence had brought no safety. Travellers were stranded for hours as the road remained blocked. Security personnel were later deployed to restore order, but the anger did not dissipate.
The vigilantes killed in Gassa were members of the local group that had been safeguarding residents from repeated attacks. John Dung, a resident, said the victims had been on duty, protecting the community, when the gunmen struck. "They were killed while protecting their community," he said. The Berom Youth Moulders-Association confirmed the deaths, describing them as "sad and disturbing." Its spokesman, Rwang Tengwong, said the vigilantes had been contributing to the security of the community by keeping watch and responding to threats. "Their killings were a serious setback to local efforts to protect residents," he said. He called on security agencies to intensify efforts to track down the attackers and bring them to justice.
The attack in Gassa is not an isolated incident. It is the latest in a grim pattern of violence that has turned Plateau State into a killing field. On Tuesday night, gunmen ambushed and killed three Mwaghavul vigilantes at the Kyikyau-Gyambwas boundary in Mangu Halle District of Mangu Local Government Area. The victims were identified as Samson Dachet, 45; Gambo Fwangyil, 50; and Zughumnan Bamaiyi, 35. The Mwaghavul Youth Movement said the attack occurred at about 9:39 p.m., during a dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed by the Plateau State Government in parts of the state. The movement questioned the effectiveness of a curfew that confines law-abiding citizens to their homes while armed criminals move freely. "If law-abiding citizens are confined to their homes from 6 p.m., while armed criminals continue to move, attack and kill with impunity during the same period, who is the curfew ultimately protecting?" asked Tubwot Joël Sunday, the movement's Director of Public Affairs.
The curfew was imposed after a wave of attacks that killed dozens of people across Mangu, Bokkos, and Barkin Ladi. The Plateau State Government said it was a measure to restore law and order. But the killings have continued. The Mwaghavul Development Association's National President, Bulus Dabit, said the curfew was not working. "While our people observe the curfew, these bandits don't," he said. "They take advantage of it as they attack soft targets of our communities, especially those at the borders, during the curfew period." He noted that the security deployment was concentrated in semi-urban areas while rural communities remained vulnerable. "They took down three of our boys and mutilated their bodies," he said. "Now they are taking the attacks to our doorsteps knowing we will not respond due to the presence of security agents."
In a separate incident on the same day, four suspected illegal miners died when a sand excavation pit collapsed at Tangur community in Bokkos Local Government Area. A resident, Maren Jacob, said the incident occurred at about 2:20 p.m. while the victims were excavating sand along a river line. The bodies were recovered by their relatives for burial.
The killings have exposed the fragile security architecture in Plateau State, where soldiers and police are stationed but seem unable to prevent attacks. The vigilantes who died in Gassa and Mangu were filling a gap the state could not fill. They were not trained soldiers. They were farmers, traders, and youths who took up the responsibility of protecting their neighbours because the government could not. Their deaths have deepened the sense of abandonment among residents who have buried too many loved ones. "We are tired of losing our loved ones to attacks," Mrs Pam said. The protesters in Gassa did not just block a road. They sent a message to Abuja and to the Plateau State Government: the people are done waiting for protection that never comes.
The Plateau State Police Command did not respond to requests for comment on the Gassa killings. The spokesman, DSP Alfred Alabo, was unavailable. The military has not issued a statement on the attack or the protest. The silence from the authorities has only deepened the anger. For the people of Gassa and Mangu, the question is not whether another attack will happen. It is when, and whether anyone will be held accountable for the ones that have already happened.
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