…as PIDAN warns against highway blockades amid crisis
No fewer than six Irigwe natives have been murdered in separate gun attacks within four days in Miango, Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, sparking outrage and fresh concerns over security in the area.
The latest killings occurred on Thursday night near an Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) Church in Tudun Wada, Miango, where five members of a single family were reportedly shot dead by gunmen who invaded their home at about 9:30pm.
The leadership of the Irigwe Development Association (IDA), which confirmed the incidents in a statement by Sam Jugo its Spokesperson and made available to Journalists on Friday in Jos said it first received news of the murder of Abbas Musa, who was shot at gunpoint in his house on Monday, February 23, 2026, around 9pm.
“The attack, which bore the semblance of hired killers by the arch enemies of the Irigwe nation, occurred at about 9pm when the family was about to retire to bed,” the statement read, adding that the community was still mourning Musa when the attackers struck again four days later.
“While the Irigwe nation was still mourning the death of Late Musa, whose body was yet to be interred, the evil incarnates returned four days later, more ferocious than earlier, at about 9:30pm… leaving five deaths in their trail,” the association stated.
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Those killed in the Thursday night attack were identified as Nancy Monday, Nuhu Isaiah, Henry Dah, Zongo Sunday and Tarma Monday.
The statement added that the two young women were chased into their bedrooms and shot after attempting to hide.
The IDA appealed to natives to remain law-abiding and resist taking the law into their own hands amid what it described as unprovoked assaults on their people and land.
Meanwhile, the Danjuma Sheni, the President of the Plateau Initiative for the Development and Advancement of the Natives (PIDAN) has condemned the growing trend of blocking public highways during crises in Plateau State, describing the development as dangerous and counterproductive.
In a statement made available to journalists on Thursday in Jos, Sheni expressed deep concern over the increasing resort to road blockades whenever violence erupts in parts of the state, noting that many of the affected roads are federal highways critical to movement and economic activities.
“Such actions not only obstruct lawful movement and economic activities but have, in some instances, led to the harassment, attack, and even killing of innocent travelers who have no connection whatsoever to the crises. This is deeply regrettable and unacceptable,” the PIDAN President said.
While unequivocally condemning the continued attacks and killings of innocent citizens in their communities, he cautioned that mob actions and collective punishment do not bring justice to victims nor address the root causes of insecurity, but rather portray the state in a negative light nationally and internationally.
Sheni called on citizens, particularly the youth, to remain law-abiding and resist taking the law into their own hands, urging security agencies to be more proactive by deploying actionable real-time intelligence to prevent attacks, swiftly apprehend perpetrators, and dismantle violent networks threatening peace in the state.
