The Mwaghavul Development Association (MDA) has raised concerns over what it described as misleading narratives circulating on social media regarding the recent violence in Kikyau Village, Mangu District of Plateau State.
The association, in a statement signed by its Director of Public Affairs, Friday Derwam, said the statement followed a joint meeting of its national executive, women’s leadership and youth leadership.
According to the MDA, armed attackers recently invaded Kikyau community and killed a resident identified as Geofrey Kato Gumut, whose body was later found decapitated.
The association alleged that following the killing, local youths mobilised to search for Gumut’s missing head to enable his remains to be properly buried.
The MDA claimed that the search party followed a trail of blood from the scene of the killing towards a nearby settlement, where the youths allegedly demanded the return of the missing remains.
According to the association, the occupants of the settlement responded with violence.
The MDA described the Kikyau incident as part of what it characterised as a wider pattern of attacks against Mwaghavul communities in Mangu.
It alleged that 24 people were recently killed in Bin Mper, adding that more than 28 Mwaghavul people had reportedly been killed within a period of less than 10 days.
The association further claimed that attacks since 2023 had resulted in the deaths of more than 750 Mwaghavul people. It alleged that victims had been attacked in their homes or ambushed while working on farms, with some subjected to severe mutilation.
The MDA also rejected claims circulating on social media concerning alleged enclaves and ownership of land within Mwaghavul territory.
It maintained that no portion of Mwaghavul land had been legally or customarily ceded, sold or transferred to those it described as aggressors.
The association further said the Mwaghavul people had historically accommodated members of neighbouring communities through social integration and intermarriage, but alleged that this history of coexistence had been followed by violence, displacement and attempts to take over land.
The MDA urged members of the public and media organisations to scrutinise information concerning the Kikyau incident and rely on verifiable evidence.
It particularly called for attention to what it described as omitted details surrounding the incident, including the alleged blood trail and subsequent violence.
The association called on security agencies to urgently investigate the Kikyau attack and other reported killings across Mangu Local Government Area, identify those responsible and prosecute them in accordance with the law.
It also appealed to the government to strengthen security around vulnerable farming communities and take action against armed groups and unlawful camps operating in Plateau State.
The MDA said it remained committed to protecting the lives, ancestral lands and dignity of the Mwaghavul people, while calling for credible investigations to establish the facts surrounding the violence in Mangu.
The association stressed that the circumstances surrounding the attacks should be determined through evidence-based investigations rather than competing narratives on social media.
