Fear in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State as residents of Bin-Per community in Kombun District went to sleep on Monday night, August 17, few could have imagined that heavily armed attackers were already closing in on their homes.
At about 11:30pm and into the early hours of Tuesday, August 18, the community was plunged into terror as gunmen reportedly opened fire on local vigilantes before splitting into groups and moving from house to house. 
By the time the attackers withdrew, at least 24 persons had been killed, according to community sources, while others sustained injuries.
Several homes were reportedly burnt and farmlands and crops destroyed, leaving families devastated and a community struggling to comprehend the scale of the tragedy.
The victims were later given a mass burial.
But beyond the figures, the horror of Bin-Per was captured in the stories of survivors who watched loved ones disappear in the darkness.
An eyewitness, Daniel Musa, said the attackers moved from house to house, forcing their way into homes and attacking residents who were asleep.
“Our village came under attack in the early hours of today, Tuesday, by heavily armed persons.
“They were moving from house to house, opening the doors of people who were sleeping and slaughtering them,” he said.
Eight family members killed
The extent of the carnage became even more disturbing as residents recounted how entire families were wiped out.
The extent of the carnage became even more disturbing as residents recounted how entire families were wiped out.
A resident, Mr Fangwsak James, said eight members of one family were killed in a compound, leaving behind only a two-year-old child who survived the attack despite sustaining gunshot wounds to the leg and hip.
James said the child was left for dead before being discovered.
Another resident, Shedrack Ayuba, said he lost his wife and four children in the attack.
According to Ayuba, he was keeping watch over the community with other vigilantes when they suddenly heard gunshots from different directions.
“I was with some of my co-vigilantes keeping watch over the community when we heard shooting from all over,” he said.
Ayuba said he attempted to escape through a building but was shot in the leg.
“I was taken to the hospital. It was the next day that I discovered that my wife had been killed,” he said.
Another resident said a man lost three children in the attack, further highlighting the devastating impact of the violence on families.
Residents said the attackers appeared to have carefully positioned themselves around the community to prevent people from escaping.
“They positioned themselves strategically and scattered themselves so that nobody would escape,” one resident said, adding that some people attempting to flee were also attacked and killed.
“They did not spare anyone. They killed everyone,” another resident, Tongret Rogo, said.
Vigilantes overrun
Ronbak Maxwell, another resident, said the attackers first opened fire on vigilantes before gaining access to the community.
He said the incident started at about 11:30pm and that about two vigilantes were killed before the attackers advanced into the community.
According to him, the gunmen divided themselves into groups and began moving from house to house.
“We called for help but the response was not fast,” Maxwell said.
He added that most of the casualties were women and children.
The attack also destroyed the economic foundation of many households.
Women protest killings
As the community buried its dead, women of Bin-Per took their grief to the streets.
Carrying leaves, the women staged a peaceful protest against the killings and demanded urgent action from the government.
They lamented the loss of husbands, children, relatives, neighbours and friends, saying the attack had left families traumatised and livelihoods devastated.
One of the protesters, Mrs Ladi Joshua, said the women were devastated by the killings and demanded an end to recurring attacks on the community.
“The scale of destruction is not merely an attack on individuals but an attack on an entire community, its dignity, livelihood, and future,” the women said.
They questioned how heavily armed attackers could repeatedly penetrate vulnerable communities and inflict such destruction.
The women also expressed concern over the effectiveness and responsiveness of the existing security architecture, saying communities were increasingly being forced to rely on themselves for protection.
According to them, the intervention of youths helped prevent the death toll from becoming even higher.
“Citizens should not have to become their own soldiers before they can sleep safely in their homes,” they said.
However, they stressed that community self-defence could not replace the responsibility of government to protect lives and property.
They called on Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang and the Federal Government to urgently reassess security arrangements in vulnerable communities.
