Armed men attacked a crowded vegetable market in Mangu town, Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, on Friday, September 19, 2026, killing three people and leaving scores injured after gunfire caused a mass panic.
Attack Details and Casualties
The shooting began around 8:30 p.m., just as traders and shoppers were winding down for the evening. As reported by Vanguard, gunmen fired multiple shots at a vehicle that was departing the market, striking and killing two women and a young man.
The chaos that followed the attack sent buyers, sellers and passers-by running in all directions, and the resulting stampede left additional people with injuries.
Victims' Names Unknown, Injured Taken to JUTH
Bulus Dabit, president of the Mwaghavul Development Association (MDA), confirmed the attack and said the identities of the three victims had not yet been established. He said injured victims were being referred to the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) for treatment.
"At about 8 p.m. on Friday, gunmen shot several times at a vehicle leaving the vegetable market in Mangu, killing two women and a young man," Dabit said. "The names of the victims are not known yet. Several passers-by were seriously injured and are being referred to the Jos University Teaching Hospital for treatment."
A second source, John Haruna, also confirmed the incident, saying the sudden outbreak of gunfire threw the market into complete disorder. Haruna said people fled without knowing where others were going, which led to more injuries on top of those caused directly by the shooting.
MDA Urges Security Agencies to Act
Dabit condemned the attack in strong terms and called on law enforcement to use intelligence resources and technology to catch those responsible. "Security agencies must leverage intelligence and technology to apprehend the perpetrators of these dastardly acts, as they would not be far from the scene of the crime," he said.
The attack happened only hours after the MDA had already raised an alarm over sustained violence against communities in Mangu. In a statement signed by the association's Director of Public Affairs, Friday Derwam, and issued earlier on Friday following a joint meeting of its national executive, women's leadership and youth leadership, the MDA said more than 750 Mwaghavul people had been killed in attacks since 2023. The association had called for an immediate investigation into the recent killings in the local government area before Friday night's market attack added three more names to the toll.
