Mwaghavul youths in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State have rejected the latest deployment of military personnel to the area, declaring they have no confidence in the fresh security arrangement following a deadly attack that claimed dozens of lives in Bin Mper community.
COAS, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu
The youths spoke out after gunmen struck Bin Mper community in Kombun District of Mangu LGA, killing at least 24 people in an assault that occurred between late Monday night and the early hours of the following morning. The attack triggered widespread outrage, a protest by women in the affected community, and renewed calls for tougher security measures across the state.
In response, the military relocated the tactical command of the Joint Task Force on security in Plateau State, Operation Enduring Peace, to Mangu. The Commander of the task force, Maj. Gen. Maxwell Dangana, also launched “Operation Hard Knock,” aimed at flushing out criminal elements operating in Mangu and its surrounding communities.
Despite the show of force, Mwaghavul youths say they have little faith the new deployment will change the trajectory of violence that has repeatedly hit their communities.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang condemned the killings and appealed to residents to remain calm and avoid reprisal attacks, even as pressure mounted on the state government to take decisive action.
The Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate in the state, Chief Kefas Wungak Ropshik, went further, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency in response to the escalating violence.
Youths in the affected community have also pushed back against suggestions that residents should rely on self-defence in place of formal security cover.
“We strongly reject the idea that community self-defence should become a substitute for a functional security system,” the group said, insisting that young people should be in schools, farms and businesses rather than permanently stationed at community guard posts because government had failed to provide adequate protection.
They demanded a transparent investigation into the Bin Mper attack and other assaults across Mangu and Plateau State, including scrutiny of the security response before, during and after the incident, alongside the arrest and prosecution of those responsible.
The Mwaghavul Development Association has separately commended Governor Mutfwang for visiting Bin Mper community, deploying additional security personnel, pledging relief assistance and committing to construct access roads to speed up future security response.
The association also praised Mwaghavul youths for their resilience in defending their communities, while urging them to continue operating within lawful limits.
The Bin Mper killing is the latest in a string of attacks that have plagued Plateau State’s central senatorial districts in recent months, with communities in Mangu, Barkin Ladi and Riyom local government areas repeatedly targeted despite sustained military presence under operations including Operation Safe Haven and Operation Enduring Peace.
Youth coalitions in the state have previously claimed that no fewer than 200 people were killed around the Barkin Ladi axis within a five-month period, reinforcing a pattern in which residents say deployments have failed to translate into lasting security.
The renewed rejection of military presence in Mangu echoes similar frustration voiced by residents elsewhere in Plateau, where communities have staged protests and, in some cases, attacked military checkpoints, accusing security forces of failing to stop the killings despite their continued presence on the ground.
