A youth leader in Plateau state has alleged that soldiers provided cover for gunmen who attacked Angwan Rukuba community in Jos North Local Government Area.
The youth leader made the claim while speaking to Martins Vincent Otse, an activist popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), who visited the community following the incident.
Gunmen attacked the community on Sunday evening around 7:30 p.m., killing at least 40 people and injuring several others.
The youth leader, who identified himself as a coordinator under the Plateau Youth Council for the northern zone, said he witnessed the attack.
He said the assailants stormed the community and began shooting residents, while others attacked victims with machetes.
“They came and started shooting people. Some were using machetes. Most of them were wearing half camouflage and veils. They were speaking Hausa and Fulani,” he said.
He alleged that shortly after the attack began, military personnel arrived at the scene but prevented residents from pursuing the attackers.
“In less than 10 minutes, army vehicles arrived. They blocked the youth from going after the attackers and started shooting at us,” he said.
The youth leader claimed that the soldiers fired into the air and on the ground, injuring some residents.
“I was there. One of them almost shot me in the leg. They shot at the ground and hit some of our people,” he said.
He further alleged that the soldiers remained at the scene for about 30 minutes to one hour, during which residents could not respond to the attackers.
“For that period, we could not pursue them. The attackers continued their operation,” he said.
According to him, the soldiers left the area shortly after the attackers retreated.
“When the attackers left, the army also left immediately,” he said.
He also questioned the identity of the soldiers, saying he had not seen them in the area before.
“I have never seen those soldiers in Jos. They had no name tags. They came with two trucks and motorcycles,” he said.
The claims have not been independently verified, and the Nigerian Army has yet to respond to the allegations.
