Two vigilantes killed as over 100 gunmen invade Plateau community near Jos

Two local vigilante members were killed on Wednesday night after gunmen  numbering over 100 invaded Rangarasa, a village within the Rantya community in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.

John Mancha, a resident of Rantya who witnessed the incident told Journalists in Jos on Thursday that the attackers arrived on motorcycles, firing sporadically as they attempted to enter the community from the Rangarasa axis.

“Yesterday night in Rantiya, we did not sleep. We saw the attackers. They were riding in motor bikes. On a motor bike, you could see three or four of them with rifles. They were shooting and trying to enter Rantiya community from Rangarasa axis bordering the Rantiya,” Mancha said.

He said local vigilantes mobilised to resist the invasion but were overwhelmed by the attackers’ firepower. Two of the vigilantes were gunned down before the assailants fled.

“Some local vigilantes mobilized themselves and actually did their best to resist the invaders. Unfortunately, two of the vigilantes were gunned down by the invaders before they fled the community,” he stated.

Mancha identified the deceased as Joshua and Emmanuel, describing their personal circumstances to highlight the impact on their families.

“Two of the vigilante victims were identified as Joshua and Emmanuel. I learnt that Joshua has four children while Emmanuel’s wife recently delivered a baby through surgery,” he said.

According to the resident, security agents only arrived the community on Thursday morning after the attack. He said they were shown the bodies of the victims before leaving.

“It is only this Thursday morning that we saw some policemen and a soldier that visited the community and left but we showed them the corpse of the victims,” Mancha said.

He described the situation in Rantya as “pathetic” and called on government and security agencies to urgently intervene to prevent further attacks.

“The situation is rather pathetic and I think the lives of residents in Rantiya are in danger and government and security agents should rise up and protect the people and not allow the invaders to over run the community,” he urged.

As of the time of filing this report, police authorities in Plateau State had not released an official statement on the Rangarasa attac

Meanwhile, the Plateau State Police Command on Thursday  announced a visit by Isyaku Mohammed, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in Charge of Training and Development to the state today,Thursday

In a media invitation signed by Alfred Alabo, the Police Public Relations Officer, the Command said DIG Mohammed will first visit the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPSS, Kuru, where gunmen had earlier killed three security operatives ,before briefing officers of the Plateau State Command.

“Members of the press are cordially invited to cover the visit of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in Charge of Training and Development, and Coordinating DIG for the North-Central Geopolitical Zone, DIG Isyaku Mohammed, PhD, FCNA, to the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPSS, Kuru today,” the statement read.

The statement added that DIG Mohammed, described as “a seasoned security strategist and advocate of community-oriented policing, will engage officers on capacity building and operational readiness for improved operational efficiency.”

“Your presence and coverage will be highly appreciated,” the PPRO stated.