Two vigilantes killed as gunmen attack Plateau community
As Berom Youth leader raises alarm over escalating attacks
By Golok Nanmwa
JOS – No fewer than two local vigilante members were killed Wednesday night after suspected gunmen, said to be over 100 in number, attacked Rangarasa village in Rantya community, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.
A resident of the area, John Mancha, who witnessed the attack, told journalists in Jos on Thursday that the assailants arrived on motorcycles and opened fire sporadically while attempting to gain access into the community through the Rangarasa axis.
According to him, the attackers moved in large numbers, with three to four armed men riding on each motorcycle.
“Yesterday night in Rantya, we did not sleep. We saw the attackers. “
They came on motorcycles. On each motorcycle, there were three or four men carrying rifles. They were shooting and trying to enter Rantya community from the Rangarasa axis bordering the area,” he said.
Mancha disclosed that local vigilantes mobilised in a bid to repel the attackers but were overpowered by the gunmen’s superior firepower.
“Some local vigilantes mobilised themselves and actually did their best to resist the invaders. Unfortunately, two of them were gunned down before the attackers fled,” he stated.
The deceased vigilantes were identified simply as Joshua and Emmanuel.
Mancha said Joshua was survived by four children, while Emmanuel’s wife recently gave birth through surgery.
He lamented that security personnel only visited the community on Thursday morning after the incident.
“It was only this morning that we saw some policemen and a soldier who visited the community and left after we showed them the corpses of the victims,” he added.
Describing the situation as disturbing, the resident appealed to government and security agencies to take urgent steps to safeguard lives and property in the community.
“The situation is pathetic. Residents are living in fear and government should act quickly to prevent further attacks,” he said.
The National President of the Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM), Barrister Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, has also lamented the attack, warning that violent incidents are now occurring in communities close to the Jos city centre and raising concerns over the spread of insecurity across the Jos metropolis.
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