Former member of the House of Representatives, representing Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency, Hon. Dachung Musa Bagos, has strongly condemned the gruesome New Year’s Eve attack on Bum (Chugwi) village in Vwang District of Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, which left no fewer than nine persons dead and several others injured.
Bagos, who visited the devastated community on New Year day alongside the President of the Berom Youth Moulders (BYM), Barr. Solomon Dalyop, described the killings as barbaric, coordinated and unacceptable, insisting that the Federal Government must move beyond rhetoric and ensure the arrest, prosecution and jailing of those responsible.
Speaking amid grieving residents and at the scene where victims’ bodies were recovered, the former lawmaker lamented that the assailants struck at a time villagers were preparing to usher in the New Year, having kept vigil overnight to secure their community.
“It is very unfortunate. The bodies you have seen here are evidence that nine innocent people were brutally killed. We don’t want to keep hearing about unknown perpetrators.
The Federal Government has already designated these attackers as terrorists. What we want now is actionarrest them, prosecute them and jail them. Justice must be done,” Bagos declared.
He questioned claims that the attacks were not genocidal, pointing to the gruesome killing of children during the attack.
“When you say this is not genocide and you see a small child hacked to death, then something is fundamentally wrong,” he said.
Bagos further expressed frustration over what he described as the failure of the existing security architecture, noting that despite the heavy presence of security agencies in Plateau State, the attackers struck “from nowhere” and escaped unchallenged.
Also speaking, BYM President, Barr. Solomon Dalyop, confirmed that the attack occurred between 9:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. on December 31, when heavily armed assailants stormed the Chugwi community, killing nine residents on the spot, while three others are currently receiving treatment in hospital.
Dalyop alleged that traces of blood left behind by the fleeing attackers should have triggered an immediate manhunt by security agencies, lamenting that no such operation had commenced.
“A few local vigilantes resisted them and there were clear traces of blood. By now, we expected a full-scale manhunt. But nothing is happening. That raises fundamental questions,” he said.
He warned that the continued failure to apprehend perpetrators deepens trauma and fuels suspicion among affected communities.
The BYM President also raised concerns over what he described as known terrorist enclaves operating freely across Plateau and the Middle Belt, naming areas such as Mahanga, Bangai Fulani in Bachi District and Kona Matiji in Bokkos, among others.
“More than 50 terrorist enclaves are known. Their locations are known, yet we have never seen decisive military action against them. They attack at will and return freely,” he alleged.
While calling for urgent international intervention, Dalyop appealed to the United Nations and the United States to hasten efforts at flushing out terrorist elements in the region.
“These are crimes against humanity. We want to live in peace in our own land,” he said.
He also advocated the revamping of Operation Rainbow and the formal training and equipping of local vigilante groups, stressing that community-based security efforts helped prevent the complete wipeout of Bum village.
“If the vigilantes were not on ground, this community would have been wiped out. Government must train and empower the people to defend themselves,” he added, lamenting that “a day meant for joy and hope has turned into mourning.”
Meanwhile, members representing Jos South State Constituency in the Plateau State House of Assembly, Hon. Dalyop Gyang and Secretary of Jos South local government council Hon. Dusu David Daggwi while speaking with journalists at the village, condemned the attack, describing it as barbaric and unfortunate.
They decried the killing of innocent residents who were preparing to welcome the New Year, urging security agencies to act decisively to restore confidence.
New Telegraph reports that barely minutes into the New Year, suspected armed Fulani militants unleashed terror on Bum community, shattering the festive mood and plunging the agrarian settlement into grief.
The attack, which came hours after security alerts warning of imminent threats to some Jos South communities, has heightened anxiety over the recurring spate of violent assaults on rural settlements in Plateau State, particularly during festive seasons meant for peace and celebration.
As residents await decisive action from authorities, Bum village enters the New Year under a cloud of grief, tension and unanswered questions.
