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JOS, NIGERIA — At least two community volunteers were killed and three others sustained severe gunshot wounds following a late-night assault by suspected Fulani militia on a local civilian watch post in Bokkos Local Government Area, Plateau State.
The incident occurred at approximately 10:00 p.m. local time in Angwan Tsarki, a residential area within the predominantly Christian farming settlement of Mangor, located about 45 miles south of the state capital, Jos.
Ambush at Community Watch Post
According to local sources and surviving victims, the casualties were part of a volunteer vigilante group stationed on night watch duty to protect the residential settlement against persistent cross-border incursions.
A survivor treated at a regional facility recounted the ordeal in a text message:
“Fulani attack us in Angwan Sarki, Mangor, Bokkos and kill two, injured 3. I’m among the victims who sustained injuries.”
Harrowing video footage obtained from the hospital where the injured are receiving emergency care shows crowds of grieving women gathered outside the facility, while medical personnel tend to victims suffering from bullet wounds on hospital beds.
Spiraling Violence Across Central Plateau
Mangor, situated in western Bokkos LGA, holds a grim significance in the history of the region’s security crisis, having been documented as the site of one of the earliest major deadly assaults in 2013 where over 27 residents lost their lives.
The latest attack highlights an ongoing surge of armed assaults across the southern and central belts of Plateau State:
- Pattern of Targeted Incursions: The assault on Angwan Tsarki follows reported gun attacks in South Jos and Dorowa Babuje, where a local pastor was ambushed and murdered on September 20 while traveling to church services.
- Resurgence in Neighboring Enclaves: The violence comes on the heels of recent attacks across the Bokkos, Mangu, and Barkin Ladi operational corridors, despite active military patrols under Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) and state-imposed security measures.
Local community leaders and youth coalitions have renewed calls on security agencies and the Federal Government to establish permanent tactical forward-operating bases around vulnerable farming settlements to halt continuous night raids and protect rural populations.
