By Muhammad Fatima (300lvl Mass Comm)
A tragic incident occurred on Friday evening at around 9:47 p.m. in the Manjul community of Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, when a bus of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), conveying 28 passengers, was attacked. The incident resulted in the death of 8 lives and left 21 injured.
According to reports, the passengers who were traveling from Zaria to Qua’an pan in Plateau state to attend a wedding, were allegedly mistaken for bandits by the local youths. In the ensuing attack, the bus was set ablaze, and this claimed the lives of up-to 11 people but only 8 bodies were found, and the others sustained various degrees of injuries.
One of the survivors recounted that the they had lost their way during their journey, and had stopped to ask for directions, when the youths gathered around the bus and attacked them. The survivor noted that there were also elderly members of the community, sitting and watching while the whole drama unfolded, until security intervened. The Community Chairman described the incident as a "case of mistaken identity.”
Sadly, reports also confirm that among the casualties are the groom’s father; a lecturer from the Department of Physics at ABU Zaria, the groom’s brother and uncle, and the bus driver who is an ABU driver.
As of the time of this report, the government has yet to issue an official statement regarding this incident. The loss of innocent lives due to negligence demands immediate security measures and thorough investigation from relevant authorities.
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