Suspected Fulani Bandits Kill 23 in Major Reprisal Attack on Bin-Per Community in Plateau
By Zagazola Makama
At least 23 people, including women and children, have reportedly been killed in a major reprisal attack on Bin-Per community in Kombun District of Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, in an incident believed to have been linked to an earlier attack on Fulani residents in the area.
The fresh violence occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, August 18, 2026, when suspected Fulani militias reportedly infiltrated Bin-Per from the neighbouring Bokkos axis through an isolated route and launched an attack on the predominantly farming community.
The attack has further heightened tensions in an area already struggling with a cycle of violence, retaliation, displacement and destruction of livelihoods.
A military security source told Zagazola Makama that troops of Sector 8, Operation Enduring Peace, responded to reports of the attack on the isolated village shortly after the incident was reported.
Upon arrival, the troops conducted a sweep of the general area, but the attackers had already withdrawn from the community.
Reinforcement from the security forces, including personnel operating alongside Operation Rainbow, subsequently arrived at the location to support the response.
The joint team later conducted an exploitation of the village and recovered 16 corpses of local residents, including women and children.
The military said search efforts were still ongoing to establish the full casualty figure and obtain further details on the incident.
However, the Councillor representing Kombun Ward, Hon. Lemun Le’an Iliya, and the Mwaghavul Youth Movement separately put the death toll at 23 to 24 persons, with the youth body stating that 24 people were killed.
Zagazola Makama understands that the difference in casualty figures may be due to the fact that security personnel initially recovered 16 bodies while community members were still accounting for missing, injured or displaced residents.
What Triggered the Reprisal?
The Bin-Per attack did not occur in isolation.
It came less than 48 hours after an attack on Fulani residents in Jwak Maitumbi, also in Mangu Local Government Area, which was earlier reported by Zagazola Makama.
The August 16 attack reportedly targeted an isolated Fulani settlement in Jwak Maitumbi, where suspected Mwaghavul militia allegedly killed several residents, destroyed about 45 Fulani residential shelters, looted valuables and damaged large quantities of crops belonging to the community.
According to security information obtained at the time, troops of Sector 8, Operation Enduring Peace, deployed from Sabon Gari moved to the area after receiving reports of the attack.
On arrival, the troops reportedly found extensive destruction, including the remains of dozens of residential shelters occupied by Fulani residents.
Residents were said to have fled the area in fear, with women, children and elderly persons among those displaced.
The attackers were also accused of entering farms belonging to Fulani residents and using cutlasses to destroy crops, threatening not only the immediate survival of affected families but also their sources of income and food.
The incident prompted troops to summon the Galadima and youth leader of Jwak Maitumbi community and direct the local leadership to assist security agencies in identifying those responsible for the attack.
That earlier incident is now significant in understanding the circumstances surrounding the deadly assault on Bin-Per.
From Jwak Maitumbi to Bin-Per
Security and community accounts suggest that the two incidents are part of a dangerous retaliatory pattern that has repeatedly characterised violence in parts of Mangu and neighbouring areas. The August 16 attack left Fulani residents with substantial casualties, destroyed homes and damaged farmlands.
Two days later, Bin-Per a community inhabited by Mwaghavul people came under attack, with scores of residents reportedly killed.
The geographical proximity of the affected communities, the short interval between the incidents and the nature of the attacks have raised concerns that the Bin-Per assault could represent a retaliatory strike rather than an isolated attack.
This pattern is particularly dangerous because each cycle of violence creates a new pool of victims, grievances and displaced families who may subsequently become motivated by revenge.
An attack on one community is followed by another attack on a different community, and the second attack then becomes justification for another round of retaliation.
The result is a self-perpetuating cycle in which the original circumstances surrounding an incident become increasingly difficult to separate from subsequent acts of revenge.
The Mwaghavul Youth Movement condemned the Bin-Per attack, describing it as a deadly assault that claimed 24 lives and destroyed homes and crops.
The group accused the government and security agencies of failing to adequately protect vulnerable communities and called for a transparent investigation into the attack.
The Movement also called for the identification and prosecution of those responsible, while urging authorities to strengthen intelligence gathering, improve the deployment of security personnel and establish effective rapid-response mechanisms.
Hon. Chief Dr. Ishaya David Lalu, Member representing Mangu/Bokkos Federal Constituency, also condemned the attack and called for urgent action to prevent further killings.
Lalu said the reported loss of lives, particularly women and children, was heartbreaking and unacceptable.
He urged security agencies to investigate the incident, identify those responsible and ensure that they face the law.
The lawmaker also appealed to residents to remain calm and vigilant while calling for stronger security measures and improved engagement with vulnerable communities.
A Dangerous Cycle of Revenge
The latest development illustrates the extent to which the security situation in parts of Plateau has become increasingly vulnerable to retaliatory violence. The danger is no longer limited to the initial attack.
When homes are destroyed, crops are burnt, livestock are lost and family members are killed, affected communities often carry the consequences long after security personnel have restored temporary calm.
In Jwak Maitumbi, the destruction of about 45 Fulani shelters and farmland reportedly left residents displaced and economically vulnerable.
In Bin-Per, the subsequent attack has now reportedly claimed more than 20 lives and left another community mourning.
The perpetrators of the first attack may not necessarily be the same individuals who later carry out the retaliation. Yet, once communities begin to associate one another collectively with attacks committed by armed individuals, entire populations become targets.
That dynamic makes the identification and prosecution of individual perpetrators particularly important.
Without accountability, communities can easily conclude that the state has failed to protect them or punish those responsible, creating an incentive for self-help and revenge.
Troops Intensify Operations
Following the Bin-Per attack, troops of Operation Enduring Peace, in conjunction with Operation Rainbow and vigilante elements, have continued to dominate the community and surrounding areas.
Security personnel are conducting offensive and protective operations while efforts continue to establish the full circumstances of the attack and determine the final casualty figure. The immediate priority is also to prevent another attack or retaliatory assault in neighbouring communities.
Security forces are expected to maintain a strong presence around vulnerable settlements and routes linking Mangu and Bokkos axes, particularly isolated routes that could be exploited by armed groups to infiltrate communities.
The Bigger Picture
The events of the past few days demonstrate that Plateau’s security challenge cannot be addressed solely through post-attack deployments.
The August 16 attack on Fulani residents in Jwak Maitumbi and the August 18 attack on Bin-Per show how quickly violence can move from one community to another when grievances are left unresolved.
The immediate task for the security agencies is therefore not only to identify the perpetrators of the Bin-Per killings but also to investigate the earlier Jwak Maitumbi attack and establish whether there is a direct connection between the two incidents. Both attacks require accountability.
The victims of Jwak Maitumbi deserve justice just as the victims of Bin-Per deserve justice.
Treating one attack as more important than the other risks reinforcing the very grievance structure that fuels retaliation. The greatest danger is that the latest killings could become the trigger for another round of revenge.
A fresh attack on Fulani communities in response to Bin-Per would only produce another set of victims, another displacement crisis and another justification for retaliation.
The cycle must therefore be broken through immediate security intervention, impartial investigations, prosecution of perpetrators irrespective of their ethnic identity, protection of vulnerable communities and sustained engagement with traditional and community leaders.
The central lesson from the unfolding crisis is that the attack on Jwak Maitumbi must not be used to justify Bin-Per, and the deaths in Bin-Per must not become justification for another attack elsewhere.
Justice for victims on all sides remains the only credible path to preventing the next reprisal.
