Metro
Plateau Activist Accuses Soldiers Of Killing Mangu Youth Leader
A Plateau State activist, Walshak Samuel John, has accused soldiers attached to Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP) of killing a youth leader in Mangu Local Government Area of the state.
John alleged that Fwangshak Dawuk, Secretary of the Mwaghavul Youth Movement, Mangu Halle District, was shot dead by military personnel in Jakatai village on Sunday night while he and other youths were reportedly on vigilante duty.
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In a Facebook post on Monday, the activist said eyewitnesses claimed Dawuk was shot at close range by soldiers who were allegedly protecting Fulani attackers.
John said Dawuk and other youths had gone out to protect their community following an attack on neighbouring Lawuru in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area.
He also alleged that Dawuk’s body was later removed from the scene and taken to Barkin Ladi General Hospital, where it was reportedly dumped.
John described the allegations as serious and called for answers about what happened between the soldiers and the youths.
He questioned who ordered the shooting, the identity of the military personnel involved, the convoy operating in Jakatai at the time and the orders under which the soldiers were operating.
“When communities are repeatedly attacked, and people organise themselves to watch over their homes, families and neighbours, the proper response from security agencies should be coordination, protection and communication — not indiscriminate treatment of citizens as enemies,” John said.
Conflict journalist Masara Kim Usman also alleged that the incident occurred after terrorists invaded Arangai, also known as Jakatai, in Mangu LGA.
Usman claimed in a Facebook post that soldiers failed to respond to distress calls while civilian guards armed with homemade pipe guns confronted attackers to allow vulnerable residents to escape.
He further alleged that soldiers later arrived and opened fire on the civilian defenders, killing Dawuk.
However, the Media Information Officer of Operation Enduring Peace, Captain Polycarp Oteh, said he was not aware of the incident.
Speaking on Tuesday, Oteh said he was currently attending a course in Kaduna and had no information about the alleged killing.
Efforts to obtain confirmation from the Plateau State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Alfred Alabo, were unsuccessful as he neither answered calls nor responded to messages sent to his phone.