JOS, Nigeria – Armed assailants on Saturday afternoon attacked an artisanal mining location in Marit village, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, killing five miners and leaving two others critically wounded, community leaders and local security sources reported in Jos on Saturday, September 26, 2026.
The deadly assault occurred around 1:00 p.m. as laborers conducted excavation work at the mining site, heightening communal tensions in the agrarian belt despite ongoing security operations and movement restrictions instituted across several local councils.
Okay News reports that the national spokesman of the Berom Youth Moulders-Association, Rwang Tengwong, confirmed the casualty figures in an official dispatch, expressing grief over the recurring waves of violence targeting rural livelihoods.
“Five persons were killed while two others sustained injuries in the attack,” Tengwong stated in an official briefing. “It is a very sad and painful development. Our people are once again mourning the loss of lives to violence. We condemn this attack and call on the security agencies to urgently take steps to protect our communities and prevent further attacks.”
A community leader in Marit village, Simon Mundat, described the shooting as devastating, noting that the assailants opened fire indiscriminately on the defenseless workers before fleeing into adjacent rocky hills.
“We are deeply saddened by this attack,” Mundat remarked. “Five people have been killed and two others injured. This is a very painful situation for the community. We appeal to the authorities to strengthen security in the area so that our people can go about their legitimate activities without fear.”
Spokespersons for the joint military task force Operation Enduring Peace, Captain Polycarp Oteh, and the Plateau State Police Command, Superintendent of Police Alabo Alfred, could not be reached for official operational statements as tactical response units were deployed to secure the area.
The tragedy follows the declaration of a dusk-to-dawn curfew by the Plateau State Government on Monday across three local government areas—Barkin Ladi, Mangu, and Bokkos—to contain reprisal hostilities and maintain civil order.
The State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Joyce Ramnap, had on Friday issued an executive statement reiterating the administration’s condemnation of targeted killings and pleading with community stakeholders to remain law-abiding while security agencies carry out clearance operations.
In a related development on Saturday, combined security operatives working alongside registered local hunters successfully thwarted a coordinated attack by suspected armed bandits on the Latok community in Qua’an-Pan Local Government Area of the state.
Local sources confirmed that vigilantes and security forces engaged the advancing gunmen in an exchange of fire, repelling the infiltration and forcing the assailants to retreat into neighboring forest corridors without recording civilian casualties.
