PLATEAU VIOLENCE: GUNMEN KILL FIVE, COP SLAIN IN NEW JOS RAID
At least five people, including a police officer, have been reportedly killed in separate attacks across the Barkin Ladi and Mangu Local Government Areas of Plateau State.
The violent incidents occurred despite an active dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed on the troubled communities.
The unrest began on Thursday during a routine sanitation exercise. According to reports, operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were deployed at the invitation of the market traders’ association to enforce compliance.
However, the enforcement met stiff resistance from several traders who argued that their shops, being located along the main road, fell outside the designated market boundaries.
The disagreement rapidly escalated into a violent confrontation. During the clash, armed civil defence operatives fatally shot a trader, while the windscreens of several vehicles parked along the road were smashed in the chaos.
The shooting triggered widespread panic, sending residents of surrounding neighborhoods—including Apata, Alikazaure, Katako, and Masalachi—scrambling for safety into their homes.
In the aftermath of the shooting, outraged traders regrouped to confront the security forces, forcing the operatives to withdraw from the area.
Although the injured trader was rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency medical treatment, he later succumbed to his injuries.
At the time of this report, the Plateau State Police Command had not yet issued an official statement regarding the attacks or the market enforcement clash.
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