Residents of Mwar community in Chakfem Chiefdom, Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, have alleged that soldiers stationed at a nearby checkpoint ignored their desperate pleas for help as gunmen believed to be Fulani militias launched a deadly attack on the community.
The assault, which occurred in the early hours of Sunday, November 30, left three people dead and two others injured.
The attackers also reportedly carted away food items and livestock during the raid.
A youth leader in the area, Ayuba Yunana, said the villagers fled to a military checkpoint just a few hundred meters away when gunmen invaded the community and began shooting.
Despite their urgent pleas, he said the soldiers refused to intervene.
“When the bandits entered the Mwar community that night and started shooting, some villagers ran to the nearby military checkpoint, which was not far from the village,” Yunana said.
“There were about 10 soldiers at the checkpoint, and our people pleaded with them to come and assist us as the Fulani bandits had overpowered the local vigilantes, and only God knew what they intended to do.”
Yunana added that the troops insisted the situation was not within their line of duty, even as the attackers moved from house to house assaulting residents, most of whom are farmers.
Another youth, Paul Daluk, corroborated the claims, saying villagers approached the soldiers twice, yet they refused to act despite being armed and capable of confronting the attackers.
“The people actually ran to the checkpoint two times to report the attack. The first was when the bandits first entered and started shooting. After the soldiers refused to come the first time, some elders decided to go and plead with them to come and help us but they still refused to come.
“The troops later came Monday morning, hours after the attackers had finished their business and left,” Daluk said.