The Mwaghavul Development Association (MDA) has raised urgent concerns over a resurgence of violent incidents in Mangu Local Government Area, Plateau State, labeling the recent killings as horrific, ritualistic in nature, and a serious threat to the already delicate peace in the region.
In a statement released on Wednesday by Friday Derwam, the National Director of Public Affairs for the association, the brutal slaying of a young man, Abalis Ishaku Dayong from Adep village in Panyam District, was strongly condemned. The attack occurred last Saturday.
Derwam detailed the gruesome nature of the assault, explaining that Dayong was first shot in the leg, then repeatedly stabbed, before being beheaded. The assailants also dismembered his body, removing his limbs. He warned that the brutality suggested ritualistic motives behind the killings.
He also expressed deep concern over the rising wave of kidnappings in the Pushit area of the council, where victims are frequently abducted for ransom, with some never making it back alive. “In some instances, the bodies of those killed were found mutilated,” he added.
Deacon Bulus Dabit, President of the MDA, echoed these sentiments, condemning the recent surge in violence. He emphasized that these attacks mark a disturbing reversal of the fragile peace that had been slowly returning to the community. He described the violence as a direct challenge to government initiatives aimed at restoring stability in Plateau State.
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The association asserted that these violent acts are calculated efforts to break the spirit of the Mwaghavul people and disrupt their commitment to peaceful coexistence. “We remain steadfast and unyielding in the face of these brutal tactics,” the MDA affirmed.
Supporting the Plateau State Government’s advocacy for the establishment of state policing, the group reiterated that localized police forces would significantly enhance the fight against insecurity at the community level.
Furthermore, the MDA called on security agencies to intensify their operations, uphold fairness and justice, and ensure that those responsible are held accountable. They stressed that delivering justice is essential to halting further attempts to displace the Mwaghavul from their ancestral territories.
