Fresh fire on the Plateau as several killed, houses, property torched, gov. imposes curfew

By Abdulfatah On Jan 24, 2024

A fresh bloody crisis has flared up in Plateau State, leading to an imposition of a 24-hour curfew on the Mangu Local Government Area of the state by Governor Caleb Mutfwang.

Gyang Bere, the governor’s Director of Press and Public Affairs, confirmed the development in a statement he issued, on Tuesday.

“Governor Mutfwang took the decision after consultations with the relevant security agencies,” the statement read.

“He stated that only persons on essential duties are allowed to move within the local government area until further notice.

“He urged all citizens, especially residents of Mangu Local Government Area, to comply with the directive and assist the security personnel by providing reliable information to restore peace and order in the area.

“He lamented that some people are still determined to create an atmosphere of insecurity in the state, despite the government’s efforts to end the activities of terrorist elements.

“He expressed his sympathy to the families of the victims and the injured and assured them that the government would not relent in ensuring lasting peace in the state.

“He promised that the curfew would be reviewed as soon as the security situation improves.”

Brig.-Gen. Gakji Shipi, the Governor’s Special Adviser on Security and Homeland Safety, told newsmen blamed the imposition of the curfew on the unrest, following a misunderstanding between two individuals in the council area.

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He said: “The current situation in Mangu is a result of two people that escalated. The crisis is not political or has anything to do with the farmers-herders crisis. It was just two human beings that had an altercation and by coincidence, one of them happens to be a herder and the other person is a native.

“The native was crossing with his motorcycle and the Fulani was grazing his cattle and crossing the road and that obstructed traffic and there was an altercation between them. When that happened, the Fulani people came in support of their own and the natives also came in support of their own and the thing just got out of hands and that led to the imposition of curfew in Mangu.”

The unrest led arson attacks that claimed many houses, including churches and mosques.