A Plateau State activist, Walshak Samuel John, has accused soldiers attached to Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP) of killing a youth leader in Mangu Local Government Area of the state.
John alleged that Fwangshak Dawuk, Secretary of the Mwaghavul Youth Movement, Mangu Halle District, was shot dead by military personnel while on community vigilante duty in Jakatai village on Sunday night.
According to the activist, Dawuk and other youths had gone out to protect their community following an attack on neighbouring Lawuru in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area.
In a post shared on Facebook on Monday, John said eyewitnesses alleged that Dawuk was shot at close range by soldiers who arrived at the scene.
John described the allegation as a serious development requiring an immediate and transparent investigation, particularly because the deceased was reportedly participating in community vigilance.
“If accounts from eyewitnesses on the killing of Fwanshak Dawuk by soldiers are accurate, then this is not simply another casualty to be added to the long list of deaths associated with insecurity in Plateau State,” John said.
He questioned the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the identity of the soldiers involved, the military convoy operating in Jakatai at the time and the operational orders under which the personnel were acting.
The activist also raised concerns over reports that Dawuk’s body was allegedly removed from the scene and taken to Barkin Ladi General Hospital, where it was reportedly abandoned.
He called for answers on why the deceased was taken to the hospital and why the soldiers allegedly left without properly accounting for the circumstances surrounding his death.
Meanwhile, conflict journalist Masara Kim Usman also alleged that terrorists had invaded Arangai, also known as Jakatai, in Mangu LGA.
According to Usman, soldiers allegedly failed to respond to distress calls from the community, prompting civilian guards to confront the attackers with locally fabricated weapons to enable vulnerable residents to escape.
He alleged that soldiers later arrived at the scene and opened fire on the community defenders, killing Dawuk.
However, the military has denied knowledge of the reported incident.
The Media Information Officer of Operation Enduring Peace, Captain Polycarp Oteh, told DAILY POST on Tuesday that he was not aware of the incident.
Captain Oteh said he was currently attending a course in Kaduna and could not confirm the allegation.
Efforts to obtain comments from the Plateau State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Alfred Alabo, were unsuccessful, as he reportedly neither answered calls nor responded to messages sent to his phone.
The allegations have not been independently verified, while the circumstances surrounding Dawuk’s death remain unclear.