According to residents, the attack took place between Monday night and the early hours of Tuesday. An eyewitness, Daniel Musa, said the heavily armed attackers went from house to house, forcing their way into homes and attacking residents while they were asleep.
Musa said the community came under attack during the night and into the early hours of the following day, adding that the armed assailants went from one house to another, attacking sleeping residents.
He said more than 24 deaths had been confirmed by the morning, while several others sustained serious injuries and some residents were still missing.
Another resident, John Dalyop, who also confirmed the incident, described the situation as devastating.
Dalyop said residents expected the new Commissioner of Police in the state to respond swiftly and ensure that those responsible for the attack were brought to justice.
He condemned the incident as barbaric and called on the state and Federal Governments to urgently strengthen security around vulnerable communities in Mangu and other parts of Plateau State.
According to him, injured victims had been taken to nearby hospitals for treatment, while community leaders and residents were working to identify and locate those still missing.
He added that security operatives were deployed to the community to restore calm and prevent further attacks.
Efforts to obtain comments from security operatives were unsuccessful as of press time.
However, the Mwaghavul Youth Movement confirmed the attack, saying 24 people were killed, while several others sustained injuries. The group also said some houses were set ablaze and crops destroyed during the incident.
In a statement by its Director of Public Affairs, Tubwot Sunday, the movement expressed deep grief, anger and dissatisfaction over the attack.
It said the incident had not only claimed lives but had also devastated families and threatened the livelihoods of residents who depend mainly on agriculture.
The group also expressed concern that the attack occurred despite the security presence in the area, noting that repeated attacks on vulnerable communities had raised questions about the effectiveness and responsiveness of the security system.
Women protest fresh killings as 24 victims receive mass burial in Plateau
This came as women from Bin-Per community in Ruff, Kombun District of Mangu Local Government Area, staged a peaceful protest yesterday over the killing of 24 residents by gunmen.
The women, who turned out in large numbers, marched through the community carrying leaves and lamenting the killings. They called on the government to take urgent measures to protect their lives and secure their communities.
One of the protesters, Mrs Ladi Joshua, expressed deep sadness over the killings, saying the women were devastated by the loss of their husbands, children, relatives and other members of the community.
Meanwhile, the 24 victims of the attack have been buried in a mass burial, while several others who sustained injuries are receiving treatment in hospitals.
President of the Mwaghavul Youth Movement, Kyesmang Jonathan, who spoke during the mass burial yesterday, confirmed that 24 victims had so far been buried following the attack.
He said some of the injured victims were still receiving treatment in hospitals, while the community continued to deal with the devastating consequences of the incident.
Jonathan described the killings as a painful loss to the community and condemned the continued attacks on innocent residents.
Meanwhile, the Plateau State chapter of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, also condemned the attack on Bin-Per community in Kombun District of Mangu Local Government Area.
The party's state scribe, Jude Dakur, described the incident as barbaric, senseless and unacceptable, expressing sorrow over the loss of innocent lives and the destruction of homes, farmlands and other property.
Dakur said the killing of residents, particularly those attacked while asleep in their homes, was a serious violation of human life and urged authorities to prevent such incidents from becoming a recurring occurrence in Plateau State.
Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang yesterday directed security agencies to intensify surveillance and patrols in the affected community and other vulnerable areas of Mangu Local Government Area.
The directive followed the attack on Bin-Per community, which left several residents dead and others injured, while homes and farmlands were reportedly destroyed.
In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Joyce Ramnap, the governor condemned the attack and described it as a disturbing development capable of undermining the peace and security being consolidated across the state.
Meanwhile, United States Congressman Riley Moore has urged the US Department of State not to lift Nigeria's designation as a Country of Particular Concern, CPC, citing the recent killings in Plateau State.
In a post on X yesterday, Moore said Christians were being killed across the Middle Belt with impunity and warned Washington against repeating what he described as the “Biden era mistake.”
Moore said the latest attack was evidence that the situation in Nigeria's Middle Belt remained unchanged.
Reacting to reports of the attack on Binper community in Mangu Local Government Area, he argued that Nigeria should retain its CPC designation because of the continued violence in the region.
He said that while there might be some progress in northern Nigeria, attacks on Christians in the Middle Belt remained a serious concern and called for an end to the violence.
Nigeria was first designated a Country of Particular Concern by the US State Department in December 2020 under the first Trump administration over concerns about religious freedom violations.
However, the Biden administration removed Nigeria from the list in November 2021.
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