Plateau Attack Leaves Three Dead During Curfew Hours

Three people were killed near the Kyakyau-Gyambwas boundary in Manhunt Halle District, Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, at about 7:49 p.m. on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, while residents were under a dusk-to-dawn curfew. The attack came one day after the state government imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in Mangu, Bokkos and Barikin Ladi local government areas, aiming to restore law and order after reports of attacks and killings. In the affected LGAs, dozens of people, including women, were killed within a few days. Tubwot Jol Sunday, Director of Public Affairs for the group, confirmed the Tuesday night ambush and said those killed had been keeping watch over the community. He identified them as Samson Dachet, 45; Gambo Fwangyil, 50; and Zughumnan Bamaiyi, 35. The Mwaghavul Youth Movement said it was deeply troubled that the deadly attack happened during the newly introduced 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew, which the Plateau State Government said was meant to protect lives and help security agencies stabilize the affected communities. The movement questioned what the restriction could achieve if armed criminals were still able to move and attack during the curfew hours. It asked whom the curfew was ultimately protecting if law-abiding citizens stayed home from 6:00 p.m. while armed Fulani criminals continued to move, attack and kill without consequence during the same period. Bulus Dabit, national president of the Mwaghavul Development Association, also condemned the incident and called it dangerous. He said the curfew was not working against lawless people: residents observe it, but bandits do not. Instead, he said, they take advantage of it to attack soft targets, especially border communities, during the curfew period. Dabit noted that security shows of force are concentrated in semi-urban areas while rural areas remain exposed. He said urban areas do not need large numbers of security personnel, adding that the attackers killed three of their boys and mutilated their bodies. He said the attackers were now bringing attacks to their doorsteps, knowing there would be no response because security agents are present, and that the curfew creates conditions that allow them to escalate attacks on their communities.