Governor Caleb Mutfwang stated that both the local community and security agencies were taken by surprise during the deadly attack in Jos on Sunday night, March 29. The assault occurred at a busy junction in the city centre, where gunmen killed at least 28 people, including University of Jos students and staff. Mutfwang made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television's Politics Today on Friday, explaining that the prolonged peace over the past 10 to 12 months had created a false sense of security. "As a matter of fact, the community was blindsided," he said.
The governor noted that the attackers disguised themselves as operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), complete with hoods and tactical movements resembling official raids. Residents initially assumed the gunfire was part of a routine NDLEA operation and did not react immediately. "People initially assumed it was an NDLEA operation and did not resist, but when they realised what was happening, a lot of damage had already been done," Mutfwang said. By the time people responded, the attackers had fled.
Following the incident, sporadic violence erupted near the university, prompting authorities to close the institution and evacuate students. Security has been heightened across Jos, though tensions remain high. Mutfwang described the attack as "unfortunate" and "worrisome," but expressed hope it would not happen again. "We are confident that by God's grace this will be a one-off event and not a recurring situation," he said.
A governor describing an attack in his state capital as a "one-off" event while citing no arrests or intelligence breakthroughs is making a prediction few bereaved families will accept. Caleb Mutfwang's claim that both locals and security were blindsided relies on the assumption that disguised gunmen exploiting routine NDLEA operations were unforeseeable. Yet if security patterns are predictable enough to be mimicked by killers, then the system itself is the vulnerability. For Nigerians in Jos, peace based on hope rather than overhauled strategy offers little reassurance.
