The Plateau State Police Command has intensified security deployment in Bin’per community, Bwoi-Ruf District of Mangu Local Government Area, following a deadly attack that struck the area in the early hours of Tuesday.
The Commissioner of Police for Plateau State Command, CP Ayodeji Faniyan, disclosed the security reinforcement during an on-the-spot assessment of the situation in the community. During the visit, Faniyan commiserated with traditional council elders, the local government chairman and residents of Mangu, vowing that those responsible for the attack would be identified, arrested and prosecuted.
The commissioner said the Police Command would deploy all constitutional means at its disposal to ensure that those responsible for the killings were brought to justice, stating: “The Command will do everything within its constitutional powers to identify, arrest and prosecute those responsible.”
Faniyan also delivered a condolence message on behalf of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, who condemned the attack and directed that all necessary measures be taken to prevent further violence in the area. The commissioner assured residents that security had been strengthened in Bin’per and surrounding communities to prevent a recurrence and restore public confidence.
Faniyan further cautioned residents against resorting to jungle justice, warning that such actions could further escalate tensions and undermine ongoing efforts to bring perpetrators to justice through proper legal channels.
The attack comes barely a week after Faniyan assumed office as the 47th Commissioner of Police in Plateau State. At his first press conference on August 14, he had pledged to make crime prevention, intelligence-led policing and the protection of lives and property central pillars of his administration.
Tuesday’s attack adds to a string of deadly incidents that have plagued Plateau State in recent months, straining the ability of security agencies to protect rural communities. The state has recorded repeated attacks on civilians and other security incidents in recent months, raising ongoing concern about the capacity of security agencies in the area.
Among the most recent, gunmen ambushed a security patrol earlier this month, killing a police inspector and a Nigerian Air Force personnel. In response, troops of Operation Enduring Peace reportedly arrested 19 people in Tongoron community, Riyom Local Government Area, for profiling and investigation as security agencies intensified cordon-and-search operations in the area.
In June, following a separate wave of attacks, DIG Dankwambo said the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies strongly condemned the acts of criminality and would continue working to identify, arrest and prosecute those responsible, adding that tactical teams and operational units were already taking steps to restore confidence in the state. He also called on Plateau residents to support police and other security agencies in tackling the violence.
Plateau State has for years been a flashpoint for deadly attacks often linked to disputes between farming and herding communities, as well as broader ethnic and religious tensions. In one earlier incident this year, a nighttime attack on Angwan Rukuba community in Jos North Local Government Area left at least 14 people dead, according to police, though community leaders and police gave conflicting casualty figures in the aftermath.
Despite successive commitments from police leadership including past pledges of aerial surveillance, expanded patrols and high-profile arrests in connection with earlier killings in Bokkos and Bassa local government areas attacks on communities in the state have continued into 2026, underscoring the persistent security challenges facing Plateau despite repeated assurances from federal and state security agencies.
