Wednesday, April 8, 2026 - A burial service for victims of the Palm Sunday attack in Angwan Rukuba, Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, erupted into protest on Tuesday as women and youths blocked the church entrance, demanding the release of community members previously arrested in connection with the killings.
The attack, which occurred last Sunday, claimed at least 33
lives after some victims succumbed to injuries in the hospital. Residents
expressed outrage over what they described as the wrongful detention of three
local youths, insisting the authorities pursue the actual perpetrators.
Tension escalated as the protesters refused to allow the
mass burial to proceed until their demands were met, temporarily halting
proceedings and highlighting growing frustration over recurring violence and
perceived delays in justice in the state.
The protesters, carrying leaves and chanting songs,
declared, “We will not allow the burial to take place until our sons are
released.”
One of the protesters, Mathew Bulus, said, “Those arrested
by soldiers are innocent. They are not the ones who carried out the killings.
They should go after the perpetrators and leave our youths alone. We will not
let them be detained unfairly.”
The protest heightened tension as about seven corpses of the
attack victims were brought to the community.
The protesting women, joined by some youths, locked the
entrance of the church where the mass burial was scheduled to be held, calling
for the release of three youths from the community arrested by military
authorities in connection with investigations into the killings.
There was, however, jubilation at the ECWA Church as the
three youths were confirmed released.
Their release brought relief to protesters and mourners as
they were formally presented to youth leaders.
Confirming their release, the aggrieved youths thereafter
allowed the corpses of the victims to be moved out of the church for interment.
A member of the community, Peter Makenzie, who spoke to our
correspondent, said the youths were arrested by the security men deployed to
contain the situation last Wednesday.
Speaking at the burial, the Chief of Staff to the Governor,
Jeremiah Satmark, said the death toll from the Palm Sunday attack had risen to
33, with some victims succumbing to injuries in the hospital.
He disclosed that some victims died in hospital after the
initial toll stood at 28.
Satmark, who represented the governor at the funeral
service, insisted that the government would do everything possible to bring the
perpetrators to justice.
“The government is working tirelessly to unravel the motive
behind these killings and bring an end to the violence on the Plateau.
“This attack was meant to break our unity, but it will not
succeed,” he said.
He assured bereaved families that efforts were ongoing to
identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice, while urging residents to
remain vigilant and prayerful.
Satmak also announced that the three youths arrested in the
wake of the attack had been released.
The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria,
Plateau State chapter, Rev Gomwalk Dunkan, noted that it was time for
stakeholders to hold very difficult conversations to find a lasting solution to
the unending killing of Christians in the state.
He emphasised that sustainable peace could only be achieved
through justice.
“There can be no peace without justice. The government must
ensure that justice is served for lasting peace to return,” he said.
Other speakers at the event, including the Director General
of the Plateau Peace Building Agency, Dr Joyce Sanda and the former
Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Titus Alams, urged the people to remain
calm and continue to show the kind of leadership they demonstrated in the past
days.
“The security agencies need to up their game in ensuring
that such events do not happen again,” Alams insisted.
Our correspondent reports that only seven corpses out of the
over 28 other victims were brought to the church for funeral service on
Tuesday.
It was learnt that many other victims of the attack had been
recovered and buried by their families in their preferred locations.
Gunmen suspected to be bandits had attacked Angwan Rukuba
and the Gari Ya Waye area on Palm Sunday night, killing over 28 people on the
spot and injuring several others.
The attackers stormed the densely populated community around
8 pm and opened fire indiscriminately on residents.
President Bola Tinubu, who visited Plateau State last week
following the attack, commiserated with the victims’ families and directed
security agencies to arrest the perpetrators.
He also ordered the installation of over 5,000 Artificial
Intelligence-enabled CCTV cameras across the state to enhance 24-hour
surveillance and combat insecurity.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang, who had earlier visited the scene,
vowed that justice would be served and the perpetrators would not go
unpunished.
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