Hundreds of residents in Jos North defied a state-imposed curfew on Monday to protest a deadly Palm Sunday massacre in Anguwan Rukuba, leading to a tense standoff as police deployed tear gas to disperse the grieving crowd.
Hundreds of residents in the Anguwan Rukuba area of Jos North, Plateau State, took to the streets on Monday morning, March 30, 2026, in open defiance of a 48-hour curfew imposed by the state government. The protesters gathered at the site of a gruesome massacre that occurred the previous evening, where suspected terrorists—reportedly dressed in military uniforms—opened fire on the community during Palm Sunday celebrations. Visibly agitated demonstrators, captured in a live TikTok stream monitored by SaharaReporters, chanted and demanded immediate government intervention, arguing that restricted movement orders have failed to provide safety. “People are outside because of the attack that happened yesterday. They chased the security men because they are not doing any help right here,” one resident stated, reflecting a deep-seated distrust in the state’s security apparatus.
The protest highlighted the harrowing nature of Sunday’s violence, which survivors described as a coordinated ambush conducted under the cover of darkness. According to eyewitnesses, the attackers struck between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. during a blackout, utilizing rapid-fire weaponry that forced hundreds to flee into the surrounding bush for their lives. “Yesterday around 7pm to 8pm in the night, there is was no light so these people (suspected terrorists) firing, as in straight shooting on rapid, a lot of people have to flee for their lives,” a survivor recounted. Residents at the scene characterized the government’s subsequent curfew as both “unnecessary” and “ineffective,” claiming it serves only to further victimize the survivors rather than apprehend the perpetrators.
The demonstration was short-lived, however, as operatives of the Nigeria Police Force moved in to enforce the curfew, leading to a chaotic confrontation. Eyewitnesses reported that officers began chasing the crowd and preparing to fire tear gas canisters to clear the area near the massacre site. “People are now running because the police want to shoot at us. They want to fire teargas,” one demonstrator warned as the crowd scattered. This latest wave of violence and subsequent civil unrest underscores the volatile security situation in Plateau State, coming just days after separate bandit attacks in the Kanam area, as the region grapples with a surge in communal and insurgent-led massacres.
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