Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has disclosed that the assailants responsible for the recent deadly attack in Jos posed as operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to infiltrate the community before launching their assault.
The attack, which took place in Angwan Rukuba in Jos North Local Government Area on Sunday, left at least 28 people dead and several others injured. The governor noted that no arrests have been made so far in connection with the incident.
During a condolence visit on Thursday, Bola Ahmed Tinubu met with grieving families, traditional leaders, and government officials, and directed security agencies to apprehend those behind the killings.
The incident has triggered widespread outrage across Nigeria, with growing calls for urgent measures to tackle the worsening security situation in the state.
Speaking in an interview on Politics Today on Channels Television, Mutfwang explained that the attackers carefully mimicked the operational style of NDLEA officers to deceive residents. He noted that locals were already familiar with NDLEA raids targeting drug-related activities in nearby areas, making the disguise effective.
According to him, the gunmen arrived hooded and began shooting in a manner similar to NDLEA operatives, leading residents to initially believe it was a routine security operation and not resist.
By the time the community realised the truth, significant casualties had already been recorded, and the attackers had fled the scene.
Mutfwang described the attack as premeditated and professionally executed, suggesting the perpetrators possessed advanced weapon-handling skills. He added that both residents and security forces were caught off guard, especially as Plateau State had experienced relative peace for about 10 months prior to the incident.
The governor assured that security agencies are working with credible intelligence to track down those responsible, though he declined to disclose further details to avoid compromising the investigation.
While acknowledging the anger among residents, he urged restraint, warning against retaliatory actions. He stressed that the attackers’ aim was to destabilise the state and derail ongoing peacebuilding efforts, and called on citizens to remain calm and law-abiding as investigations continue.