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• How terror attack unsettled Jos, left 30 dead, others severely injured
From Jude Dangwam, Jos
Calm has returned to Jos, Plateau State, after the Palm Sunday terrorist attack on Gari Ya Waye Market, Angwan Rukuba, Jos North Local Government, leaving about 30 people dead and many others injured.
Just when many thought the storm was over and government eased the 48-hour curfew imposed on the affected area, renewed unrest reared its ugly head, but it was eventually contained.
On that Wednesday, suspected Muslim youths clashed with Christian counterparts at the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), Nasarawa Gwong. At the end, church properties were vandalised but no death was reported.
The altercation unsettled the city again. It threw up anxiety, pains and losses. Those at their workplaces and offices, traders, transporters, schoolchildren and their parents fled at record speed to safer areas.
Leveraging on the whirling dusts, some irate youths besieged Village Hostel, Naraguta Campus, University of Jos (UNIJOS), chasing after innocent students. The situation caused the university management to close down the school
The vice-chancellor, Tanko Ishaya, confirmed that two students and one staff member were among the survivors of the attack: “The students are, Patrick Ishaya, a 300-level, Geography and Planning student, Abel Joro Gershon, 300-level, Building; and the staff is Mr. Duguryil Ufialas Daniel, a hall officer at PG Hostel.”
That Palm Sunday, darkness fell at noon when, out of the blue, some unidentified gunmen attacked the busy Gari Ya Waye Market, killing many, including a pregnant woman. The tragedy elicited pains, tears and grief. Many lost their breadwinners, loved ones and family members.
Local security focal person, of Justice, Development and Peace Commission, Jos Archdiocese, Boniface Anthony, gave a thrilling but bitter account of what transpired on that day of terror: “At approximately 7:00pm on Sunday, March 29, 2025, coordinated attacks were carried out on Angwan Rukuba, Gari Ya Waye, and Atakyu communities in Jos North LG. The assailants, reportedly gunmen speaking Fulfulde, arrived in a vehicle and a tricycle (Keke NAPEP) and began shooting sporadically at residents.
“The attack resulted in the death of 27 persons, with several others sustaining varying degrees of injuries. The injured victims are currently receiving treatment at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Bingham University Teaching Hospital (BUTH), also known as Jan Kwano, and other smaller health facilities within the area.”
Youth leader, Angwan Rukuba, Samson Ciroma, an eyewitness, recounted: “Personnel of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency had earlier on came and operated in the area.
“Shortly after they left and people were going about their normal activities around past 7:00 in the evening, we heard gunshots again and we were thinking it was NDLEA again.
The people even came out to see what it was. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the NDLEA.
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The gun men covered their faces and shot sporadically before escaping on their motor bikes.
“Soon after, another batch (of gunmen) came down from a vehicle, wearing covered faces, some entered into Angwa Small, speaking Fulfulde and Hausa languages while some were around the La Med Pharmacy, shooting sporadically. In fact, two of my guys, standing close to me were gun down.
“When the shooting stopped and our youths decided to go after them, it was then that suddenly a gun truck of security men came and barricaded the road. Thus, stopping our youths from going after the attackers and that was how they escaped.”
Special Force, Operation Enduring Peace in Plateau State part of Bauchi and Southern Kaduna State, dismissed the narrative of the youth leader, saying that at no point did troops provide any form of cover for the terrorist elements.
Its Media Information Officer, Captain Chinonso Polycarp Oteh, insisted: “Troops acted professionally to avert what could have spiralled to endless bloodshed and pursued the fleeing criminals as can be attested to, by so many survivors, who were at the scene of the attack.
“Specifically, four-gun trucks mounted by troops were despatched to the incident scene and they acted professionally on arrival as confirmed by other security agencies, as well as eye witnesses at the scene of the attack. Nonetheless, the allegation was promptly investigated and confirmed to be false.
“The comment by the youth leader is false, misleading and unfortunate, capable of demoralising troops and causing disaffection between the military and its host community.”
State chapter, Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), condemned the terror attack, describing it as “barbaric, senseless and a grave threat to the peaceful coexistence of people in the state. Its Secretary, Salim Umar, called for urgent investigation towards justice.
President, Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Job Bagat, remarked: “The tragic killings are not only barbaric but a grievous assault on our shared humanity.” He urged government to deploy advanced surveillance systems, strengthen community-based policing, ensure swift prosecution of perpetrators and provide support to victims and affected families.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang, appealed to angry youths to calm down and honour the dead by evacuating their corpses off the junction and depositing them at the mortuary in preparation for befitting burial. He advised the people to demonstrate restraint and avoid taking the law into their hands as concerted efforts were being made to bring the perpetrators to book stating that some suspects were arrested.
President Bola Tinubu, at the Jos Airport where he met selected family members of the victims said: “I take the mother of Promise for example. I know the pain. I saw it on the video. It is only God who can give you joy and comfort. No amount of money can pay or bring back what you have lost.”
He said as leaders, they were elected not to create widows, widowers and orphans but to bring prosperity, growth and hope and aspirations to all. He charged the security chief to fish out the perpetrators and pledged to deploy and install high-tech cameras and other technological devices in the state to help identify criminal elements:
“The best solution is for Jos to be the Jos we all grew up to know. I salute all of you, from what I’ve heard the experiences of the past. Why is the past not a source of lessons for us?
“I am pleased to inform you that security agencies have apprehended a suspect who had earlier issued threats against the peace of our state. We are committed to ensuring that all those involved in this heinous act are swiftly brought to justice and prosecuted accordingly.
“This time, we shall pursue the cause of justice to its logical conclusion to ensure justice for the victims, their families, and, most importantly, the generality of the peace-loving people of Plateau State.”
