A wave of terror swept through Jwak Maitumbi community in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State on Sunday morning, as heavily armed militants stormed settlements, leaving a trail of bodies, charred homes, and looted livelihoods in their wake.
The assault, which unfolded at approximately 7:45 a.m., has left scores of residents feared dead—many of them reportedly slaughtered after being gunned down in cold blood, according to counter-insurgency sources at Zagazola Makama.
But the carnage didn’t stop there. In a devastating blow to the agrarian community, rampaging assailants razed about 45 residential shelters to the ground and systematically destroyed vast quantities of crops—even hacking down produce on farms belonging to Fulani residents.
“Several residents were gunned down before being slaughtered,” a military source revealed. The attack triggered a frantic exodus, with panic-stricken women, children, and the elderly fleeing into the bush for safety.
Troops rushed to the scene, but what they found was a ghost village smoldering in ruins, stripped of valuables and soaked in blood.
Now, security forces are walking a tightrope. In a tense emergency meeting, military officials summoned community leaders, tasking them to help identify and produce the perpetrators—a critical move aimed at preventing an all-too-familiar cycle of reprisal violence that has haunted Plateau for years.
“The destruction of shelters and food stocks could easily ignite revenge,” warned Zagazola Makama. “If the affected communities believe justice won’t be served, they may take matters into their own hands—and that’s a fire that could spread far beyond Jwak Maitumbi.”
Plateau State has been scarred by such tit-for-tat bloodletting before, where one attack breeds another, and another, until entire regions are consumed by chaos. Military sources stress that this is not just about catching criminals—it’s about breaking a deadly pattern.
While troops continue to dominate the area and engage traditional rulers to de-escalate tensions, the police have yet to issue an official statement. Calls to Alfred Alabo, the state police spokesperson, went unanswered at press time.
For now, Jwak Maitumbi mourns and waits. But in a region where justice is often delayed and vengeance is swift, the clock is ticking.
