Two workers are dead after gunmen struck a mining site on the Plateau State boundary late on Friday night — while a government curfew was already in force.
The Attack
At around 11:30 pm on Friday, 2 October 2026, suspected gunmen opened fire on workers at a mining site near the boundary between Kuru Jenta in Jos South Local Government Area and Heipang in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area. Both victims were from the Heipang District. They were working a night shift when the attackers struck.
Community member Weng Bulus confirmed the deaths the following morning. “Two persons from Heipang District were shot dead by suspected gunmen at the mining site around Kuru Jenta last night,” he said. His account was unambiguous and direct.
A Curfew Ignored
What makes this incident particularly troubling is the timing. The Plateau State government had already imposed a curfew covering those hours. The victims were, by all accounts, in breach of that restriction — working through the night at an exposed site in a region with a well-documented history of violent attacks.
Bulus did not shy away from saying so. He urged residents to respect movement restrictions and warned miners specifically against conducting operations after dark. “Residents should not violate the curfew, particularly by engaging in night mining, as such movements could expose them to security risks,” he said. It is a blunt message, and an uncomfortable one — but the facts demand it be heard.
The spokesman for the Berom Youth Moulders Association, Rwang Tengwong, condemned the killings outright and called on security agencies to act without delay. “This killing is unfortunate. We condemn it in totality. We call on security operatives to investigate the killing, identify those responsible and bring them to justice,” Tengwong said. He also reinforced the warning against night mining, making clear that community leaders are aligned on the point.
No Response From Police
Attempts to reach the Plateau State Police Command spokesman, Alabo Alfred, were unsuccessful. His phone was switched off at the time of reporting. That silence from the authorities — in the immediate aftermath of a fatal armed attack — raises its own questions about the state of security coordination in the region.
The broader picture is one that Plateau State residents know too well. Mining sites, often remote and poorly lit, have long attracted criminal activity. Operating them through the night, in defiance of a curfew, compounds the risk considerably. The deaths of these two men are a tragedy. They are also, in part, a preventable one — and community leaders are right to say so plainly.