By Ado Oyeyemi
Gunmen have attacked a vegetable market in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, killing five people and injuring several others.
The attackers reportedly struck the market at about 8:45pm on Friday as traders were preparing to close for the day.
According to a source who survived the attack, the gunmen opened fire indiscriminately, sending traders and other people at the market fleeing in different directions.
The source said the attack lasted for about 20 minutes, leaving several people injured in the ensuing chaos.
“The unfortunate incident caused a pandemonium in Mangu town as people could not come out of their hiding even when the gunmen had gone. Five persons were killed and many were injured,” the source said.
The President of the Mwaghavul Development Association, Deacon Bulus Dabit, confirmed the incident, saying the attackers also fired at vehicles leaving the vegetable market.
Dabit said the identities of the deceased had yet to be established, adding that several passers-by were injured and receiving treatment at the Jos University Teaching Hospital.
He said, “Around 8:30pm on Friday, gunmen shot several times at a vehicle leaving the vegetable market in Mangu.
“The names of the victims are not known yet. Several passers-by were injured and are being treated at the Jos University Teaching Hospital.”
The attack occurred hours after the MDA raised concerns over alleged continued threats to communities in Mangu, claiming that more than 750 Mwaghavul people had been killed since 2023.
Meanwhile, the Plateau State Police Command said it recovered 10 rifles and 54 rounds of live ammunition and arrested 25 suspects during its operations in August.
The Commissioner of Police, Ayodeji Faniyan, said the suspects were arrested in connection with offences including illegal possession of firearms, kidnapping, drug abuse, armed robbery, theft and sexual offences.
Faniyan said the arrests and recoveries were part of the command’s intelligence-led policing, proactive crime prevention efforts, rapid response to security threats and collaboration with communities and other security agencies.
