By Damilola Samuel
Seven people have died in two separate incidents reported in Plateau State, with three community vigilantes killed in an ambush in Mangu Local Government Area and four suspected illegal miners losing their lives after a sand pit collapsed in Bokkos.
The latest violence in Mangu occurred on Tuesday night at the Kyikyau–Gyambwas boundary in Mangu Halle District, where three members of the Mwaghavul community vigilance group were reportedly attacked while on patrol.
The deceased were identified as Samson Dachet, 45; Gambo Fwangyil, 50; and Zughumnan Bamaiyi, 35.
The Mwaghavul Youth Movement (MYM), in a statement issued by its Director of Public Affairs, Tubwot Joël Sunday, on behalf of its President, Kyesmang Jonathan Yusuf, said the incident happened around 9:39 p.m.
According to the group, the attack took place while a dusk-to-dawn curfew was in effect in parts of the state.
The organisation questioned the effectiveness of the restriction, arguing that community members were being prevented from moving at night while armed attackers could still operate.
“The Mwaghavul Youth Movement is deeply disturbed that this deadly attack occurred during the period of the newly imposed 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew,” the statement said.
The group called on the Plateau State Government to reassess the implementation of the curfew in Mangu, particularly in communities considered vulnerable to attacks after dark.
It said the concern was not about rejecting security measures but ensuring that such measures did not leave communities without the means to protect themselves.
“Criminals do not obey curfews and only law-abiding citizens do,” the group said.
The MYM subsequently urged security agencies to increase patrols, improve rapid-response capabilities, strengthen intelligence operations and maintain appropriate engagement with recognised community vigilance groups if the curfew remains in place.
Meanwhile, tragedy was also reported in Bokkos Local Government Area, where four people believed to be involved in illegal sand excavation died after a pit collapsed at Tangur.
A resident, Maren Jacob, said the incident occurred at approximately 2:20 p.m. on Tuesday.
He said the victims were excavating sand along a river line when the earth gave way and buried them.
Jacob added that relatives of the deceased later recovered their bodies for burial.
Attempts to obtain comments from security authorities regarding the two incidents were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
