By BONIFACE AKARAH

Save Nigeria Group (SNG) USA and its coalition partners have condemned the reported killing of at least 24 civilians in an attack on communities in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, appealing to United States President Donald Trump and Congress to intensify security cooperation with Nigeria.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, the group said the attack began on the night of August 17 and continued into the early hours of August 18 in Bin-Per, also reported as Bin Mper or Binper, in Kombun District of Mangu LGA.

According to the statement, armed assailants reportedly moved from house to house, attacking residents while they slept, destroying homes and farmlands and leaving several people dead or injured.

The group said initial reports put the death toll at 18 but that subsequent reports indicated between 24 and 26 fatalities. It cited the Plateau State Government as confirming 24 deaths and Reuters as reporting at least 25.

SNG USA said the victims reportedly included women and children, while a mass burial was subsequently held for 24 victims.

“We refuse to look away,” the organisation declared, calling for urgent international attention to the continuing violence against vulnerable Nigerian communities.

The group said local victims, community representatives and civil society organisations had identified the attackers as Fulani ethnic militias, but stressed that the identity and classification of perpetrators should not obscure the immediate need to protect civilians.

“Call it whatever you want—just stop the killings,” SNG USA said, arguing that debates over whether the violence should be characterised as terrorism, communal conflict, religious persecution, criminality or a combination of factors should not distract from the loss of lives.

Appeal to Trump, Congress

The organisation made a direct appeal to President Trump and the US Congress for stronger support for Nigeria's security efforts.

“We therefore appeal directly to President Donald J. Trump and the United States Congress: Please, do something to help stop these killings,” the group stated.

It said the United States possessed significant diplomatic, intelligence, economic, technological and security capabilities that could be deployed to support efforts to protect vulnerable communities.

SNG USA also called on US Africa Command (AFRICOM) and the broader US national-security establishment to give greater strategic attention to armed groups responsible for attacks on Nigerian civilians.

“Every armed group that targets civilians must be confronted, regardless of ethnicity, religion, political affiliation, or geographic identity,” the group said.

The organisation also welcomed the recent US-Nigeria Joint Working Group discussions in Washington, D.C., and urged both countries to move from dialogue to concrete security measures.

It called for stronger intelligence capabilities, surveillance, rapid-response capacity, modern equipment, training, logistics and technology to support Nigerian security agencies.

Calls for arrests and stronger protection

SNG USA welcomed the Plateau State Government's directive for intensified surveillance and patrols in Bin Mper and other vulnerable communities in Mangu, but said patrols must lead to concrete results.

“Surveillance and patrols must translate into prevention, rapid response, arrests, prosecution, and lasting protection,” the organisation stated.

It demanded the immediate identification and arrest of those responsible for the August 17–18 attacks, alongside a transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the killings.

The group also called for stronger early-warning systems, protection of farming communities, humanitarian assistance for survivors and displaced families, and accountability for perpetrators regardless of their identity or affiliation.

While commending recent security successes, including the reported rescue of school students and teachers in Oyo State, SNG USA urged the Nigerian Government to do more to protect rural communities.

“Protecting vulnerable rural communities from mass murder must become an absolute priority of state power,” it said.

The organisation concluded by urging Nigerian and international authorities to intensify efforts to prevent further attacks, declaring: “The killing must stop. The impunity must end. The world must not look away.”