Plateau Women, Youths Block Highway After Gunmen Kill 3 Vigilantes

Women and youths in Kassa community, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, on Friday blocked the Jos-Barkin Ladi-Mangu highway for several hours after gunmen killed three vigilantes during a night patrol.

The protesters barricaded the highway to demand improved security and an end to recurring attacks in the community.

The attackers were said to have stormed the community around 1am and opened fire on the vigilantes, killing three people, including a community youth leader.

A resident, John Dung, said the victims were local vigilantes who had been helping to protect the community from attacks.

One of the protesters, Esther Pam, said residents were frustrated by the continued attacks despite the presence of security personnel in the area.

The National Publicity Secretary of the Berom Youth Moulders-Association, Rwang Tengwong, described the killings as disturbing and called for the immediate arrest of the perpetrators and improved security in the affected communities.

Security personnel were deployed to the area to restore order and reopen the highway.

The latest incident came amid renewed attacks in parts of Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Mangu, Bokkos and Riyom local government areas of the state.

On March 29, several people were killed and others displaced in attacks in Bassa and Barkin Ladi, prompting former Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, to visit affected communities.

Repeated attacks in Gashish and other parts of Barkin Ladi have also displaced residents.

The Plateau State House of Assembly has called for emergency security intervention and urged the full occupation of the Mobile Police barracks in Gashish.

The state government condemned the latest attack as “deeply regrettable and unacceptable,” saying security agencies were taking steps to address the situation.

The Commissioner for Information, Joyce Ramnap, also appealed to residents not to block the highway, assuring that the road remained open and urging them to remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies.