How swift intervention by troops prevents mass murder as irate youths kill 7 in plateau

How swift intervention by troops prevents mass murder as irate youths kill 7 in plateau

By: Zagazola Makama

Swift intervention by gallant troops of the Nigerian Army on Friday evening prevented what could have been a large-scale massacre after irate youths attacked innocent travellers in Mangun community, Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The victims peaceful citizens of Hausa extraction were en route Qua’an-Pan Local Government Area to attend a wedding ceremony when their 18-seater bus mistakenly veered off course into Mangun via the Panyam–Kerang–Mangun road at about 6:00 p.m. on June 20.

Instead of helping the confused travellers, the assailants driven by deadly assumptions descended on the bus, viciously attacking the occupants, killing seven on the spot, injuring 21 others, and setting the vehicle ablaze.

It was the urgent and decisive response by troops under Operation Lafiyan Jama’a that averted a massacre of unimaginable scale. The troops rushed to the scene, engaged in a rescue operation under high tension, and successfully evacuated the survivors to safety. The injured were administered emergency treatment before being taken to the General Hospital in Mangu.

Preliminary findings confirmed the travellers were unarmed civilians, peaceful Nigerians who had only lost their way on a journey of joy.

Zagazola in the strongest possible terms, condemns this senseless, barbaric, and bloodthirsty attack on innocent souls whose only “offence” was their identity and wrong turn into a volatile community. This was not self-defence. It was cold-blooded murder, and the perpetrators must be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law.

Enough of this ethnic profiling and mob justice that continues to claim the lives of Nigerians across the country. Plateau State has seen too much bloodshed, and this latest atrocity is a painful reminder that hate continues to fester where justice is denied.

We commend the Nigerian Army and other security agencies for their timely, courageous, and life-saving response. But it must not end there. Security agencies, traditional leaders, and government authorities must rise above lip service and ensure that every single individual involved in this heinous act is brought to book. Silence or delay would only embolden future attackers.

As troops continue to dominate the general area to prevent escalation, the nation watches and waits, not just for peace to return, but for justice to prevail.

How swift intervention by troops prevents mass murder as irate youths kill 7 in plateau