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  • Plateau Imposes 48-Hour Curfew in Jos North After Gunmen Kill Several in Angwan Rukuba

    The Plateau State Government has imposed a 48-hour curfew across the entire Jos North Local Government Area following a deadly attack by gunmen in the Gari Ya Waye community of Angwan Rukuba on Sunday evening, the latest in a string of violent incidents that have kept the state under sustained security pressure in 2026.

    Commissioner for Information and Communication Joyce Ramnap announced the curfew in a government statement on Sunday night, confirming that the decision followed a tragic security incident in the Gari Ya Waye community that resulted in loss of lives and injuries to several others. The curfew took effect from midnight on March 29 and will remain in force until April 1, 2026.

    How the attack unfolded

    Eyewitnesses said the attackers arrived on motorcycles at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, while residents were going about their normal evening activities. The gunmen opened fire indiscriminately, causing immediate panic and mass flight from the community.

    The violence erupted suddenly, with many residents forced to flee their homes in search of safety as gunshots rang out across the neighbourhood. The incident quickly sent shockwaves through nearby communities, raising fears of further unrest.

    The identity of the attackers and the motive for the assault had not been officially confirmed as of Monday morning. No group had claimed responsibility.

    Government response

    Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang strongly condemned the attack, describing it as barbaric and unprovoked. The government assured residents that all necessary measures were being taken to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

    The government statement read: “The Plateau State Government, in conjunction with security agencies, wishes to inform the general public of the imposition of a 48-hour curfew within Jos North Local Government Area with immediate effect, commencing from 12 midnight of 29th March, to 1st April, 2026.”

    Security agencies have been deployed to key flashpoints across Jos North, with personnel operating around the clock to stabilise the situation and track those responsible. Governor Mutfwang urged residents to remain calm and cooperate fully with security agencies by providing any information useful to ongoing investigations.

    The curfew brought commercial activity in several parts of Jos North to an immediate halt, with markets and shops closed and transportation severely restricted. Movement is limited to emergency and essential services for the duration of the order.

    The University of Jos announced the postponement of all examinations scheduled for Monday, March 30, and Tuesday, March 31, citing safety concerns. Deputy Registrar Emmanuel Madugu, speaking on behalf of the Registrar, advised members of the university community to exercise extreme caution, avoid unnecessary movement, particularly in the early morning hours, and to report any suspicious activity to the University Security Division.

    A pattern of escalating violence

    Sunday’s attack is part of a troubling pattern of violence in Plateau State in recent weeks. On March 14, gunmen suspected to be bandits killed 20 people and rustled cattle from a village in Jos in a separate attack. According to the Kanam Development Association, the gunmen ambushed soldiers on a routine patrol, triggering an exchange of gunfire in which 12 security personnel and eight civilians were killed.

    The March 29 attack also comes just two weeks after the deadly bombings in Maiduguri — another reminder that northern and north-central Nigeria remains acutely vulnerable to coordinated violence against civilian communities.

    Jos and Plateau State have been at the epicentre of communal and inter-ethnic violence for over two decades. The city has experienced recurring cycles of attacks that have claimed thousands of lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of residents. Despite sustained military and police presence, armed groups continue to strike civilian communities, often on motorcycles and in the evening hours when security checks are reduced.

  • How Three Teenagers Hid a Bomb in a Food Flask to Attack Maiduguri Hospital

    Fresh details have emerged about the March 16 coordinated bombings in Maiduguri, Borno State, revealing how three teenage suspected suicide bombers disguised explosives inside a food flask and attempted to pass themselves off as relatives visiting patients at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital — a plan that was foiled by an alert security officer at the entrance gate.

    The attacks struck three crowded locations at approximately 7:05 p.m. — the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital entrance, the Post Office area, and Monday Market — at the height of the Ramadan evening rush. At least 23 people were killed, and 108 others were confirmed injured.

    How the hospital attack unfolded

    A security officer at the hospital, Ali Musa, said the three suspects arrived at the facility in a commercial tricycle, posing as relatives bringing food to patients. Musa said he had already tightened security at his post after receiving word of the earlier blast at the post office, and immediately noticed something was wrong when the suspects drove in at high speed rather than slowing down for the standard security check.

    “They were three in number — two boys and one rider of the tricycle. I think they were around 13 or 14 years old. They looked very unkempt. I suspected something was wrong with the way they drove in,” Musa said.

    When Musa ordered them to reverse, one of the suspects threw the food flask containing the concealed explosive device directly at him. Musa kicked the flask back toward them — and the device detonated. “I heard a loud explosion and immediately lay flat on the ground,” he said. A second explosion followed shortly afterwards near the hospital entrance.

    Musa sustained injuries in the blast and found his female colleague on the ground with a broken leg when he went to check on her. He also saw a young Almajiri boy lying nearby on the ground. A shop owner near the hospital entrance, speaking anonymously, confirmed the attackers’ intent. “They wanted to blow up parts of the hospital,” she said.

    The Monday Market blast

    Investigations revealed that the Monday Market explosion was likely carried out by a separate attacker wearing an explosive vest. An eyewitness, simply identified as Fati, who works near the market, said the night was unlike anything she had experienced. “I later heard that they found a boy whose body was completely destroyed. The impact on that boy was worse than on others, so they suspected he was the bomb carrier,” she said.

    Government response

    President Tinubu directed service chiefs to relocate to Borno State following the attacks. The Chief of Defence Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, and the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, arrived in Maiduguri on the morning of Wednesday, March 18, to coordinate security operations on the ground.

    Background

    Maiduguri is the birthplace of Boko Haram and has been at the centre of Nigeria’s insurgency for over 17 years. The city had experienced relative calm since 2021 before a mosque bombing in December 2025 killed five people and raised early concerns about renewed attacks. The March 16 bombings are the deadliest to hit the city in several years. No group has formally claimed responsibility, though the Nigerian Armed Forces have attributed the attacks to Boko Haram-affiliated elements.