The family of the late Yilbet Samwa Tongshang of Bul community in Kabwir District, Kanke Local Government Area of Plateau State, has appealed to the Plateau State Police Command and other relevant authorities to ensure justice over his alleged killing and the destruction of properties worth millions of naira.
In a press statement jointly signed by Lengkat Tongshang (the complainant) and Nde Paul Tongshang (on behalf of the family), they alleged that on March 5, 2025, a group of individuals identified as Yunusa Dungkolma Tenwa, Augustine Gomgchim, John Bunwa, Jidim Munanji, and others conspired and attacked the deceased with machetes and other dangerous weapons.
According to the statement, the attackers not only inflicted fatal injuries on the victim but also allegedly set fire to 13 houses belonging to various members of the Bul community, destroying properties estimated at over ₦100 million.
The incident was reported to the Divisional Police Headquarters in Kanke, and the injured victim was taken to General Hospital, Kanke, where he was later confirmed dead. The case was subsequently transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Jos for further investigation.
However, the family expressed concern that during the investigation, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Ephraim Usman, allegedly summoned both parties to his office in the presence of the Kanke Local Government Chairman, Hon. Lapching Golime, and some stakeholders.
They claimed that the commissioner and the chairman directed that the suspects be released on bail to allow the local government handle the matter internally and ensure justice. Following that directive, eight suspects were released.
“Since their release, nothing has been done by the local government chairman as promised,” the family lamented. “We have visited the police at CID Jos several times, but we are being told to go and beg the chairman, who has since become inaccessible.”
The family further alleged attempts by some local authorities to shield the suspects from prosecution, describing the situation as “an injustice that must not be ignored.”
In a petition addressed to the Commissioner of Police, Plateau State Command, through their solicitors Ladan Attorneys & Co, the Tongshang family reiterated their call for justice and urged the police to ensure that the accused persons are arraigned before a competent court of law. 
The letter, signed by Barr. Ismaila Ladan, described the release of the suspects as an “unconstitutional administrative bail” and alleged that the perpetrators have since been boasting that nothing would come out of the case due to political interference.
“Our clients are calling on your good office to intervene and ensure that justice prevails. No one should take another person’s life and go unpunished,” the petition read.
The Tongshang family appealed to the Plateau State Government, civil society organizations, and the general public to condemn what they described as a deliberate attempt to obstruct justice and to demand accountability for the killing and arson in Bul community.
They emphasized that their only demand is justice — for their slain relative and for all those whose homes and livelihoods were destroyed in the attack.
