The persistent bloodshed in Plateau State has taken a chilling turn, with Governor Caleb Mutfwang declaring that the renewed violence is a calculated attempt at genocide and land seizure.
Since 2023, over 250 lives have been lost in a wave of brutal attacks that have rocked several communities. In December alone, more than 200 people were killed in coordinated invasions across Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, and Mangu LGAs. The latest attacks in Ruwi, Hurti, Daffo, Josho, Mangor, Tamiso, Tadai, and Rewienku have added over 50 fresh casualties to the grim tally.
In Hurti, a community in Bokkos LGA, over 40 people were slain. Survivors say the gunmen rode in on motorcycles, fired indiscriminately, looted food supplies, and torched homes—leaving hundreds displaced.
Governor Mutfwang, visibly disturbed, pointed fingers at what he termed “deliberate terrorist acts” aimed at driving out natives to take over Plateau’s fertile lands and mineral-rich terrain.
“These were not reprisal attacks. People were mourning their dead in broad daylight when they were attacked,” the governor said. “We’ve seen a pattern—attacks begin just before the farming season and escalate again during harvest, making it nearly impossible for these communities to survive.”
Supporting this claim, retired Rear Admiral Samuel Atukum, a former Military Administrator of the old Plateau State, alleged that the attackers have already identified themselves through a controversial press conference in Kaduna.
“How can someone have the audacity to issue conditions for peace just days after these killings?” Atukum queried. “The so-called herder-farmer clashes are a deception. How does one clash happen inside someone’s bedroom?”
Atukum called for the herders in the hills to be declared terrorists, accusing them of stashing weapons in the rocky terrain. He urged the government to hold accountable anyone illegally occupying abandoned villages, tagging them collaborators in the atrocities.
Ambassador Nanpon Sheni, President of the Plateau Initiative for Development and Advancement of the Natives (PIDAN), also condemned the “cowardly and calculated attacks” on women, children, and defenseless villagers.
“These acts are meant to instill fear and make our people flee their ancestral homes. But let it be known, our people will resist till the last man,” Sheni declared.
Both Governor Mutfwang and Atukum proposed the creation of a State Police, with indigenous personnel from affected communities to restore peace and security.
Let’s not stay silent. Share this story to raise awareness. Demand justice for Plateau’s communities. The world must not ignore this unfolding tragedy.
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