Jos, Plateau State — Suspected herdsmen opened fire on a commercial passenger bus late Sunday night, k!lling at least nine travellers in an attack at Dungus Junction in Kuru community, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The incident occurred around 9:40 p.m. as the bus, travelling towards Jos, stopped to drop off some passengers. Gunmen emerged and sprayed the stationary vehicle with bullets, leaving the bus riddled with holes and stained with blood, according to residents and community leaders who spoke to journalists.
Among the d3ad was a member of Operation Rainbow, a local security outfit. Several other passengers sustained gunshot wounds and were rushed to hospitals in the area, where some later d!ed of their injuries. Bodies of the victims were deposited at a hospital, with relatives preparing for burial.
Lawan Suleiman, a neighbour and teacher of one of the victims, confirmed the attack. He identified the driver as Ibrahim, a former student of his, and said three of those k!lled were from the Bukuru community. “The driver is Ibrahim and he was my student. Three of them are from our community here in Bukuru. Their bodies have been deposited at the hospital,” he said.
Rwang Tengwong, spokesman of the Berom Youth Moulders, also confirmed the details. “The incident happened around 9.40 p.m. The victims were all passengers travelling to Jos when the terrorists opened fire on the vehicle. Among those k!lled was a member of Operation Rainbow. It is a very sad development and we lament the loss of lives,” Tengwong stated.
The Plateau State Police Command has not issued an official statement on the incident as of Monday morning. The attack forms part of a broader pattern of violence in the state, with additional reports of k!llings in Mangu and Riyom Local Government Areas on the same night, bringing the total d3ath toll from the night’s attacks to around 15.
Community leaders and residents have decried the recurring insecurity along major routes in Plateau State, calling for intensified security presence to protect travellers. Investigations are ongoing.
This account is based on contemporaneous reports from Nigerian news outlets covering the September 14, 2026, incident. Attribution of the attackers as “herdsmen” aligns with the common framing of similar attacks in the region, though initial local accounts referred to the perpetrators as gunmen or terrorists.
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