Plateau Bus Attack: Conductor Survives as Gunmen Kill 13 Passengers in Jos South

A commercial bus conductor has recounted how he survived a deadly gun attack that claimed the lives of 13 travellers at Dungus Junction in Kuru, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.

Nasiru Garba, the conductor of the ill-fated vehicle, said he survived by lying low inside the bus and pretending to have been killed after the attackers opened fire. The gunmen, he said, checked the vehicle but left after assuming he was among the victims.

Garba said the bus was travelling from Riyom to Jos when it stopped at Dungus Junction to drop off five passengers. As the driver stepped down to collect fares, the attackers emerged from nearby bushes and began shooting at the people inside and around the vehicle.

According to the conductor, he was standing near the front of the bus when the attack began. He immediately bent down inside the vehicle and remained still, pretending to have been hit.

The attackers later approached the bus and opened its front door. Garba said they searched the passengers who had been killed and took money, phones and other valuables before withdrawing into the surrounding bushes.

The 13 victims included the driver and passengers who had either remained inside the bus or had just alighted at the junction. Garba was the only person in the vehicle who survived the attack.

Rwang Tengwong, National Publicity Secretary of the Berom Youth-Moulders Association (BYM), said the attack occurred at about 9:40pm. He described the incident as a major loss to the community and said one of those killed was a member of Operation Rainbow.

Tengwong said the commercial vehicle was later discovered with visible bloodstains and bullet damage. The attack has renewed concerns over the safety of travellers using roads in parts of Plateau State, particularly at night.