At least 12 travellers from Zaria Local Government Area in Kaduna State have been killed in a brutal mob attack in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The victims, who were en route to Qua’an Pan LGA for a wedding ceremony, were attacked around 8 p.m. on Friday by unidentified hoodlums. Several others sustained injuries and were rushed to a hospital in Mangu for medical attention.
Our correspondent gathered that the travellers—men, women, and children—were aboard an 18-seater bus belonging to Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. Tragically, the bus driver, an ABU staff member, was among those killed.
Confirming the incident, Sheikh Suleiman Haruna, Chief Imam of Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’a Wa’ikamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS) in Mangu LGA, told journalists:
“There were over 20 travellers in the bus. Now we have eight corpses in the hospital. We have asked the security personnel to help recover the remaining four bodies. We were together with the chairman of Mangu LGA and he has been up and doing on the matter.”
A survivor, Ibrahim Umar, recounted the horrific ordeal:
“We were heading to Qua’an Pan to attend a wedding ceremony of our brother when we missed the road.
We stopped and asked some people for directions, but before we knew it, they surrounded the vehicle and killed 12 people.
They started beating and attacking us with dangerous weapons. The hoodlums killed the driver first and then attacked others. They burned the bus with the corpses inside. We are now in the hospital, receiving treatment.”
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Plateau State Police Command, DSP Alfred Alabo, confirmed knowledge of the incident but said the Command would release a formal statement in due time.
“We are working to ascertain the true situation before making any comment,” he said.
