‘They banged on doors and opened fire’ — Jos residents recount gunmen attack in Angwan Rukuba

Plateau

A night of worship and quiet reflection turned into horror on Palm Sunday when suspected gunmen invaded the Gari Ya Waye area of Angwan Rukuba, Jos North, killing more than 20 residents and injuring several others.

The attack, which occurred around 7:50 p.m. on March 29, sent families fleeing as gunshots echoed across the community. Security personnel arrived nearly an hour later to restore order.

Speaking to TheCable, Emmanuel Topaz Daniel, a youth leader in the community, said the shooting began while he was on the main road to buy soap. “We thought maybe it was drug law enforcement personnel,” he said, noting that such operations were not unusual. “But the shooting didn’t sound normal. When we saw them coming, it was some young boys, maybe eight. When we tried to communicate with them, the shooting got worse.” He said the attackers moved from house to house, forcing doors open and shooting residents at close range.

“Any door they saw, they would bang it and shoot,” he said. “They walked freely until they passed into the next community or the bush.”

By Sunday night, 14 bodies had been recovered. Another 11 were taken to the mortuary immediately after the attack. By Monday morning, the death toll had risen to 28 after some of the injured died in the hospital.

Solomon Dalyop Mwantiri, national president of the Berom Youth Moulders Association, said the attack aligned with intelligence received weeks earlier about the movement of terrorist cells into Plateau and other Middle Belt states. “Since three weeks ago, we got intel that terrorist gangs have moved into Plateau,” Mwantiri told TheCable. “They built camps ready for attack. The foot soldiers of Bello Turji and others from Nasarawa and Southern Kaduna have moved into the state.”

He said the group had expected security agencies to act on the intelligence before the situation escalated.

The Plateau state government imposed a 48‑hour curfew on Jos North, effective from midnight March 29 to April 1, to prevent further breakdown of law and order. Caleb Mutfwang, the state governor, visited the community on Monday morning, assuring residents that the state would not allow a mass burial. Thecable