Two vigilantes killed as suspected gunmen attack Plateau community

At least two members of a local vigilante group were killed on Wednesday night when suspected gunmen attacked Rangarasa village in the Rantya community of Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.

A resident, John Mancha, who witnessed the incident, told journalists in Jos on Thursday that the attackers stormed the area on motorcycles and fired shots indiscriminately as they attempted to enter the community through the Rangarasa axis.

Mancha said the assailants moved in large numbers, estimating that more than 100 gunmen took part in the attack.

According to him, each motorcycle carried between three and four armed men, who advanced toward the community while shooting sporadically.

“Yesterday night in Rantya, we did not sleep. We saw the attackers. They came on motorcycles. On each motorcycle, there were three or four men carrying rifles.

They were shooting and trying to enter Rantya community from the Rangarasa axis bordering the area,” he said.

Mancha disclosed that local vigilantes mobilised in a bid to repel the attackers but were overpowered by the gunmen’s superior firepower.

“Some local vigilantes mobilised themselves and actually did their best to resist the invaders.”

Unfortunately, two of them were gunned down before the attackers fled,” he stated.

The deceased vigilantes were identified simply as Joshua and Emmanuel.

Mancha said Joshua was survived by four children, while Emmanuel’s wife recently gave birth through surgery.

He lamented that security personnel only visited the community on Thursday morning after the incident.

“It was only this morning that we saw some policemen and a soldier who visited the community and left after we showed them the corpses of the victims,” he added.

Describing the situation as disturbing, the resident appealed to the government and security agencies to take urgent steps to safeguard lives and property in the community.

“The situation is pathetic. Residents are living in fear and government should act quickly to prevent further attacks,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Plateau State Police Command announced that the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Training and Development and Coordinating DIG for the North-Central Zone, DIG Isyaku Mohammed, would visit the state on Thursday.

In a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Alfred Alabo, the command said the DIG would visit the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, where gunmen recently killed three security operatives, before addressing officers of the state command.

The statement described the DIG as a security strategist committed to community-oriented policing and said the visit would focus on capacity building and improving operational readiness.

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