The death toll from Friday’s deadly attack on wedding guests in the Mangun community of Mangu Local Government Area, Plateau State, has risen to 13.
Following the initial recovery of eight bodies on Saturday, four additional corpses—those of previously missing passengers—were recovered on Sunday. One of the injured victims also died, bringing the total fatalities to 13.
The victims, a group of 32 men, women, and children, were travelling in an 18-seater bus belonging to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
They were en route from Basawa community in Zaria, Kaduna State, to Qua’an Pan Local Government Area in Plateau for a wedding when they were ambushed around 8 p.m. by armed attackers, who reportedly set their bus on fire.
“Sheik Suleiman Haruna, Chief Imam of Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’a Wa’ikamatis Sunnah and chairman of the Muslim Consultative Forum in Mangun, told Daily Trust that the bodies of the four missing travellers were recovered yesterday.”
He confirmed that one of the 19 injured victims had died at the Mangu General Hospital.
Nine of the deceased were buried Saturday evening at Hayi Burial Ground, Mangun. The remaining four were buried in Qua’an Pan LGA after being recovered. Religious leaders said the bereaved families consented to the burials in Plateau to prevent tension in their hometowns.
Some of the survivors narrated their terrifying experiences to Daily Trust.
Ibrahim Umar recalled: “We were travelling from Zaria to Qua’an Pan for my cousin’s wedding. The groom’s father, his uncle, and younger brother were with us. We explained to the attackers that we were strangers carrying kola nuts and wedding gifts, but they didn’t listen. They killed our loved ones.
“The father and younger brother of the groom were also killed in the incident. The groom’s uncle was also killed. The groom lectures in Plateau, and that’s where he met his bride. We told them we were strangers from Kaduna State, heading for a wedding, but they didn’t agree. We are all members of the same family and community.”
He said the timely arrival of soldiers prevented more casualties.
“The soldiers really helped us. They came to rescue us. If not for their quick response, the situation would have been different,” he said.
Another survivor, Saadu Abdullahi, recounted: “We lost our way and entered a village by mistake. We stopped to ask for directions. Suddenly, people began beating us. We told them about the wedding, but they wouldn’t hear us. My elder brothers and younger ones were killed. They took our phones too.”
Maimuna, another survivor, added: “We were in touch with the groom, who told us to ask for directions if we got lost. Sadly, when we stopped to ask, the community turned on us. In a moment, we were surrounded and attacked with stones and dangerous weapons.”