In a chilling overnight assault, gunmen believed to be members of a Fulani militia launched an attack on the residence of Nigeria’s former Minister of Sport, Chief Damishi Sango, leaving one dead and three others wounded.
The attack unfolded in the early hours of Thursday in Dalwal village, Riyom Local Government Area, sparking fresh fears over rising insecurity in central Nigeria.
According to eyewitness reports from the village, the assailants began targeting parts of the community late Wednesday night before advancing on Sango’s compound around 1:00 a.m.
“The shooting started in the community at about 11 p.m., but by 1 a.m., they had reached Chief Sango’s residence and opened fire,” said a local source who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal.
The gunmen reportedly fired indiscriminately upon arrival. Tragically, a female relative of the former minister sustained critical injuries and later died at the Plateau Specialist Hospital in Jos.
Among those injured was Inspector Walba Go Tom, a police orderly attached to Sango from the Special Protection Unit Base 4, Makurdi.
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He, along with two others, suffered gunshot wounds and is currently receiving treatment. Authorities say he is in stable condition.
The attackers also made away with Inspector Go Tom’s service rifle, an official assault weapon bearing an identifiable breach number.
This incident is the latest in a string of violent attacks plaguing rural communities in Plateau State, despite repeated government promises to address the growing insecurity.
State police officials have yet to issue a formal statement on the attack as investigations continue.