Some residents of the Mwar community in Chakfem Chiefdom of Mangu Local Government of Plateau State, who were attacked by marauding gunmen suspected to be Fulani militias, have revealed that they pleaded with soldiers at a nearby military checkpoint to come to their aid.
However, they said the soldiers turned a deaf ear to their pleas.
The community witnessed a fresh attack in the early hours of Sunday, November 30, 2025. Three people were killed and two others injured while food items and livestock were stolen by the invaders.
According to a youth leader in the community, Ayuba Yunana, when the gunmen stormed the village and began shooting sporadically, some residents ran to a nearby military checkpoint, which is barely a few hundred meters away from the village, and pleaded with the soldiers for help, but they refused to respond positively.
“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 said the soldiers responded that it was not their line of duty and refused to go and confront the attackers, who by then were going from house to house, attacking the people, who were mostly farmers.
Another youth in the community, Paul Daluk, also confirmed what Yunana said, stating that the villagers actually ran to the soldiers twice to report the attack, but they still refused to intervene even though they had weapons which they could use to repel 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, wondering how soldiers stationed close to a community under attack would bluntly refuse to come to their aid.
Plateau attacks: ‘We begged soldiers to come to our aid but they refused’ – Mangu residents reveal
