MANGU: A dispute initially erupted over the right of way between a motorbike taxi driver and cattle herders in north central Nigeria, as the latter’s animals encroached onto a rural road.
The exact sequence of events remains contentious, but the altercation in late January quickly escalated into one of the deadliest episodes of violence witnessed in Plateau State in recent times. Plateau State has long been a focal point for intercommunal clashes.
According to residents and community leaders, reprisal attacks rapidly intensified. Furious youths targeted a herder community, leading to a spread of violence from rural areas to a predominantly Christian village. Notably, the unrest extended for the first time to the urban center of Mangu town.
After a period of unrest, approximately 55 fatalities were recorded, and thousands were displaced from their homes. Numerous structures, including houses, schools, churches, and mosques, were razed to the ground, as reported by the Red Cross and local residents.
Mohammed Lawal Ishaq, the Plateau secretary for the Muslim community group JNI, expressed astonishment at the situation, particularly in Mangu. He remarked, “Clearly we can’t ignore it; it was a religious crisis.”
