A clergyman and resident of the Sabon Gari community in Yilpo, Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, has denied claims that recent gunmen were not Fulani militiamen. Pastor Timothy Luka, who also serves as a local leader, issued a statement on Sunday refuting a separate communiqué from the Gan Allah Fulani Development Association (GAFDAN).
The incident occurred on Friday, 30 April 2026, when gunmen ambushed youths returning from a tin‑mining site along the Aloghom‑Yilpo‑Mwansat College axis. One youth, identified as Kyenshak Inusa, was killed; two others were wounded, and four individuals were abducted. Initial reports attributed the attack to Fulani militiamen.
GAFDAN later released a statement asserting that the assailants were not Fulani but members of the Mwaghavul community who had blocked the Mangu‑Jos road and set fire to several structures. Pastor Luka’s response rejected this account, stating that he and other witnesses saw the attackers speaking a Fulani dialect and identified them as Fulani bandits.
In his statement, Pastor Luka said the attack lasted over seven hours, during which no security forces responded to repeated calls for help. When soldiers from the Sector 2 Command of the Operational Command (OPEP) in Mangu eventually arrived, he claimed they “gave cover” to the gunmen and opened fire on unarmed residents. He reported that more than 15 people were shot, with one fatality, and that the injured are receiving treatment in hospitals in Jos and Mangu.
The pastor listed the names of the wounded, including Nanfwang Sunday (28), Nanribet Emmanuel (33), Fwangmun Joshua (32) and others, and identified four persons—Nanfwang Obadiah, Nanfwang Daniel, Riinfwang Dade and Nandyel Panshak—as still missing.
Pastor Luka concluded by warning that the community will not hesitate to defend itself against further attacks, describing the incident as part of a broader pattern of violence against Christians in Plateau State.
The dispute over the perpetrators highlights ongoing tension between ethnic groups in the region and raises questions about the adequacy of security response. No arrests have been reported, and local authorities have not yet issued an official statement.
