It felt unreal on Sunday to hear of the tragic and barbaric killing of innocent people in the Angwan Rukuba area of Jos Metropolis.

According to reports, armed Attackers rode into the community on motorcycles and began shooting indiscriminately. The killing went on unabated and led to the loss of lives, yet again in a community that was once attacked by the Boko Haram on the Chrismas Eve of 2010.

I kept thinking security forces would intervene quickly. After all, how could such an attack unfold in a major city like Jos? But I was proven wrong. The violence continued unchecked, and lives were lost once again.

For more than a decade since the massacre in Dogon Nahauwa, villages and local government areas across Plateau State have endured relentless attacks. Sometimes hundreds are killed, other times dozens. Homes are burnt, farms destroyed, and entire communities are displaced. Lands and communities overtaken and grabbed by the bandit and send the communities helpless with no places to go to. This has happened repeatedly in Riyom, Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, Mangu, and Jos South LGAs.

Across three administrations of Jang, Lalong, and now Mutfwang, no sustainable solution has emerged. The same failure extends to the federal level: Presidents, Ministers of Defense, Service Chiefs, and Police leadership have cycled through office without stopping the violence.

While many assumed the danger remained in the villages, the attackers struck at the heart of Jos, maybe not far away from the reach of police stations and military checkpoints.

They attacked on a Sunday evening, a time when most Christians in central and northern Nigeria use for relaxing after worship, visiting family, attending concerts, or returning from community events. The sweet hours of Palm Sunday night, March 29, 2026 became a tragic, bitter, mournful, and regrettable one with about thirty people killed, and their blood were running down the street.

What was their crime? Being Nigerians? Being from Plateau? Living in Angwan Rukuba?

In an attempt to prevent reprisals, the government immediately imposed a citywide curfew its usual response to crises in Plateau State. The Governor arrived in an armored vehicle, urging young people to remain calm. But after listening, I could not help asking: Is that all the government can offer? The people of Angwan Rukuba know too well that the state is unlikely to defend them.

Given the substantial funds available to the current administration, securing the lives of citizens, both in cities and rural communities, should be a top priority. Plateau cannot afford another wave of land grabbing violence.

Mr. Governor, act now and act decisively. Deploy more security personnel, support local vigilante groups, and use every available resource to protect Plateau’s people.

My deepest condolences go to the families and community leaders of the victims of the March 29 attack in Angwan Rukuba, Jos.

Dr. Kefas Lamak,
Lecturer at Western Michigan University
lammakkefas@gmail.com

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From Villages to the City of Jos: The Killing of Innocent Lives in Angwan Rukuba on a Palm Sunday Evening