By Golok Nanmwa – JOS
The curfew was meant to bring a measure of calm to some of the communities in Plateau State that had, in recent days, been shaken by a fresh wave of killings.
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But barely a day after the Plateau State Government restricted movement between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. in Barkin Ladi, Bokkos and Mangu Local Government Areas, fresh deaths were reported.
On Tuesday, gunmen reportedly ambushed security personnel attached to Operation Rainbow along Gagshi Road, killing one personnel, while three civilians were reportedly killed in a separate incident at Rakok, also known as Kafi Abu, in Barkin Ladi.
The two incidents, according to separate accounts, brought the reported death toll to four, with the ambush on the security personnel occurring around 4 p.m., before the commencement of the night-time restriction.
The incidents have added a troubling dimension to the security crisis: while the government has restricted movement during the night to give security agencies room to stabilise the affected areas, violence has continued to be reported during the day.
President of the Berom Youth Moulders-Association, BYM, Barr. Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, who said he narrowly escaped the ambush involving the Operation Rainbow personnel, described the development as evidence that the security situation was assuming a bigger dimension.
“I would have also been involved in that incident if not that God, out of His mercy, saved me,” Mwantiri said.
“This security challenge has entered another level. This thing is taking a bigger dimension. This will not be a night attack again. This will not be even during daytime.”
A security operative, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also confirmed the ambush.
“We just experienced an ambush in which a security personnel attached to Operation Rainbow was killed,” the operative said.
At Rakok, community source Lawrence Gyang said three persons were killed while attending the funeral of two people who had allegedly been killed the previous day while travelling to Gashish.
The Plateau State Police Command had not responded to inquiries on the incidents at the time of filing the report.
A curfew under pressure
The Plateau State Government imposed the dusk-to-dawn curfew on Monday, September 21, following what it described as emerging security threats in Barkin Ladi, Bokkos and Mangu.
Commissioner for Information and Communication, Joyce Lohya Ramnap, said movement would be restricted from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. until further notice.
The government said the measure was intended to maintain public order, protect lives, prevent further breakdown of law and order and enable security agencies to stabilise the affected communities.
Security agencies were directed to enforce the order, while motorcycle use was also banned in the affected areas.
For residents already living under the shadow of repeated attacks, the announcement offered the possibility of temporary respite.
Yet the latest incidents have shown that restricting movement alone does not end the threat.
The Tuesday attack along Gagshi Road happened before the curfew began.
The reported killings at Rakok also occurred in the broader context of a community gathering for a funeral.
And in another incident in Mangu, the Mwaghavul Youth Movement alleged that three men were killed at about 7:39 p.m. Tuesday during the period when movement was already restricted.
The separate incidents underline the different challenges facing communities: preventing attacks during the day, protecting residents during the curfew hours and ensuring that those enforcing security measures are themselves not exposed to ambushes.
Three killed during curfew in Mangu
In Mangu, the Mwaghavul Youth Movement, MYM, said three Mwaghavul men were killed in an ambush at the Kyikyau-Gyambwas boundary in Mangu Halle District at about 7:39 p.m. on Tuesday.
The victims were identified as Samson Dachet, 45; Gambo Fwangyil, 50; and Zughumnan Bamaiyi, 35.
The movement said the men were among residents keeping watch over their community.
In a statement signed by its Director of Public Affairs, Tubwot Joël Sunday, on behalf of its president, Comr. Kyesmang Jonathan Yusuf, the group condemned the incident and called for a review of the curfew.
The group questioned how residents could remain safe if armed attackers were still able to operate despite the restriction.
It demanded effective patrols, rapid-response capacity, intelligence-led operations and appropriate engagement with recognised community vigilance structures.
The MYM said the curfew should not result in law-abiding residents being confined to their homes without adequate protection.
Its position has brought the debate over the curfew into sharper focus: whether the restriction should be viewed simply as a limitation on civilian movement or as part of a wider security operation involving surveillance, intelligence and rapid intervention.
When the killings continued
The Tuesday incidents did not occur in isolation.
They followed a succession of attacks that had already claimed several lives across Barkin Ladi, Riyom and Mangu.
At least nine persons were reportedly killed in separate attacks between Saturday night and Sunday morning, including five passengers travelling to Gana-Ropp as labourers and two people, including a pastor, who were reportedly killed while travelling to church at Dorowa Babuje.
A woman was also reportedly killed at Baten Wereng in Riyom, while another person was reportedly killed at Ratyidi in Fan District.
Five of the victims were travelling to Gana-Ropp in search of work.
Pyem Youth Leader in Gana-Ropp, Ukasha Garaba, said: “We evacuated the corpses of five persons from Gana-Ropp. They were passengers who were travelling as labourers.
“They were simply travelling to their destination when they were attacked. It is painful, and something needs to be done urgently to protect innocent travellers.”
Their deaths illustrated how insecurity has transformed ordinary journeys into potentially dangerous ventures.
For residents, the fear is no longer limited to travelling at night.
A trip to the farm, a journey to the market, a funeral procession or a visit to a place of worship can all become occasions of anxiety.
Women and children on the run
At Dorowa Bubuje in Barkin Ladi, the human cost of the violence was seen in the evacuation of women and children following reports of gunshots from the direction of Kantoma.
Lawrence Shong, a resident, said gunshots who spoke to our correspondent said the gunmen stormed the community and starting shotting.
“Women and children were evacuated because of the attack.”
The BYM spokesman, Rwang Tengwong, also said women and children were moved to safer locations.
“Women and children were evacuated from this place because of the attack,” he said.
Military personnel were reportedly deployed to the area, but Tengwong called for sustained security presence to prevent further attacks.
The evacuation captures the deeper reality behind the casualty figures.
When women and children begin fleeing before an attack is fully understood, it means fear has already taken hold.
The market became a killing ground
In Mangu, the violence has also reached places that ordinarily serve as economic lifelines.
On Friday night, gunmen reportedly attacked a vegetable market in Mangu town, killing three persons and injuring scores.
The incident occurred at about 8:30 p.m. as traders and buyers were preparing to close for the day.
President of the MDA, Bulus Dabit, said the attackers opened fire on a vehicle leaving the market, killing two women and a young man.
Several other people were reportedly injured and referred to the Jos University Teaching Hospital, JUTH, for treatment.
George Amos a resident of Mangu said: “The attack was more than another entry in the casualty figures.
“It struck at the heart of everyday economic life.”
“Markets are where farmers sell their produce, traders earn income and families obtain food “.
“When fear empties a market, the consequences extend beyond those directly attacked” he said
Even funerals become dangerous
The reported Rakok killings have introduced another disturbing element into the crisis.
According to the community account, the three civilians were killed while attending the funeral of two people allegedly killed the previous day.
For communities already traumatised by repeated violence, such incidents create a frightening cycle, ,People are attacked,
Families gather to bury the dead.
Mourners become exposed.
Another attack occurs
And another set of families is left grieving.
The bigger Mangu crisis
The latest incidents have also renewed attention on the wider security crisis in Mangu.
The Mwaghavul Development Association has claimed that more than 750 Mwaghavul people have been killed in attacks since 2023.
The MDA also rejected claims that any part of Mwaghavul territory has been legally ceded, sold or transferred.
BYM: Curfew must be matched with security
The Berom Youth Moulders-Association has called for a broader security strategy alongside the curfew.
The group said residents did not simply need restrictions on their movement but effective measures capable of preventing attackers from operating freely.
It called for security operations around suspected hideouts and access routes, sustained deployment along vulnerable roads, intelligence-led operations and protection for communities and mourners.
“The people of Plateau State are tired of burying their sons and daughters,” the association said.
Mutfwang’s assurance
Governor Caleb Mutfwang has repeatedly maintained that the state government will continue to protect residents.
Speaking at the 2026 Plateau Annual Convention of the General Council of Assemblies of God Nigeria, North East Zone, at Gyel, Jos South, the governor said:
“I cannot abandon my responsibility of securing the people of Plateau State. We will protect our people with all that we have, within the ambit of the law.”
“Plateau State will not be defeated by violence or the gun” he added.
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