Abas Rufa’i, one of the survivors of the tragic mob attack that occurred on Friday, June 20, in the Mangun community of Mangu Local Government Area, Plateau State, has narrated how he narrowly escaped death while travelling with a group of wedding guests.
Rufa’i shared his ordeal during a visit by Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, to the injured victims receiving treatment at the 44 Army Reference Hospital in Kaduna.
He was among 31 people — including men, women, and children — traveling in a bus from the Basawa-Anguwan Rimi area of Zaria, Kaduna State, en route to a wedding in Qua’an Pan LGA when they were ambushed by a violent mob.
According to Rufa’i, trouble began when their driver pulled over to ask for directions. Rufa’i stepped down from the vehicle and approached a group of locals nearby but immediately sensed danger from their unfriendly expressions.
“I didn’t even speak to them. As I turned away, I overheard them saying, ‘We should kill them all and burn the vehicle,’” he recalled.
Before the passengers could react, the mob began attacking the bus. The driver attempted to turn the vehicle around, but the road had already been blocked with stones and logs.
Rufa’i said he managed to quietly step away from the scene, removing his gown to blend in and avoid suspicion. As the mob set the vehicle ablaze with his fellow passengers inside, he flagged down a passing motorcycle and asked to be taken to the nearest police station, pretending it was a personal emergency.
On the way, he saw a military checkpoint and asked the rider to stop. “Before I could pay him, the rider turned back and left. I rushed to the soldiers and told them what had happened,” he said.
The soldiers responded swiftly and followed him to the scene, where they found the bus engulfed in flames. About 18 passengers were rescued with varying degrees of injuries, but several others had already lost their lives.
