“The ongoing violence between communities in Plateau State, rooted in misunderstandings between different ethnic and religious groups, must cease,” President Bola Tinubu has said, but opposition figure and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, blames his failed security infrastructure and policy for the bloodbath in Plateau and elsewhere
Tinubu adds, “I have instructed security agencies to thoroughly investigate this crisis and identify those responsible for orchestrating these violent acts. We cannot allow this devastation and the tit-for-tat attacks to continue. Enough is enough.
“Beyond dealing with the criminal elements of these incessant killings, the political leadership in Plateau State, led by Governor Caleb Mutfwang, must address the root cause of this age-long problem.
“These problems have been with us for more than two decades. We can no longer ignore the underlying issues. It is time to tackle them fairly and find a lasting solution. I have discussed these problems with the governor over time and offered suggestions for lasting peace.
“The Federal Government remains committed to supporting Governor Mutfwang and the Plateau State government in promoting dialogue, fostering social cohesion, and ensuring accountability—crucial steps towards permanently resolving the conflict in Plateau”.
But in Jos, the state capital, according to Channels Television, Governor Caleb Mutfwang on Monday convened an expanded state security council meeting following attacks on Zikke and Kimakpa communities in the Bassa Local Government Area (LGA) that have claimed 51 lives so far. A slightly equal number perished days ago in Bokkos LGA. There are unverified reports of more bodies being found there.
The meeting was held at the Council Chamber of the Government House as the governor said over 100 militiamen invaded the affected communities to maul innocent residents on Monday morning.
“We are on top of the situation and will go to any length to forestall a recurrence,” the governor assured the people of the state.
Several houses razed and Mutfwang said he would provide more information surrounding the attack during a broadcast on Tuesday, April 15, 2025.
According to a Kwall community leader, Wakili Tongwe, the attackers invaded the village in the early hours of Monday and shot sporadically at residents who were scampering for safety after hearing gunshots.
The community leader earlier told Channels Television on the phone that a team of vigilantes, including himself and some security personnel, were on patrol in another community when the attackers invaded the village and started shooting.
Though the security personnel engaged the invaders and succeeded in repelling the attackers, the damage had been done, with about thirty-six persons shot dead and four others dying later.
Some other residents sustained gunshot wounds and are receiving medical attention at the hospital.
Security agencies in the state are yet to comment on the attack, which is coming less than two weeks after 52 persons were killed in some communities of the Bokkos Local Government Area of the North-Central state.
Plateau State has, for several decades, been a hotbed of killings, with gunmen sacking entire communities. About 200 people were killed at Christmas 2023 celebrations during a bloody attack on a majority Christian community. In May last year, around 40 people were killed and homes torched in the town of Wase.
Experts blame the fight for resources between farmers and herders as a major cause of the attacks.
However, the governor of the state said there is more to the attacks. “I can tell you in all honesty that I cannot find any explanation other than genocide sponsored by terrorists. The question is, who are the persons behind the organisers of this terrorism? This is what the security agencies must help us to unravel,” the governor said on a recent edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.
He said bandits have taken over 64 communities in the state.
“As I am talking to you, there are not less than 64 communities that have been taken over by bandits on the Plateau between Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, and Riyom local governments,” Muftwang said. “They have been taken over, renamed, and people are living there conveniently on lands they pushed people away to occupy.”
Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar condemns the resurgence of the bloody attacks, insisting that President Bola Tinubu’s security policy, infrastructure has failed woefully
Atiku also flayed the upsurge in terrorist attacks in Borno State, which has led to the loss of lives and territories to the Boko Haram insurgents, according to alarm raised by Governor Babagana Zulum and Shehu of Borno Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai El-Kanemi.
He called on the Federal Government to take tougher proactive measures to deal with what he called “these disgraceful incidents that challenge our national security.”
Reacting to the spate of insecurity, which has attained endemic levels in the country, Atiku explained that “every sincere Nigerian should be worried about the frequency and impunity with which terrorists and bandits attack innocent people in the country, especially in Northern Nigeria, which has become the epicenter of terrorist violence in the country.”
According to him, the delay in the prosecution of captured terrorists and bandits in custody since 2016 has emboldened the mass murderers to kill with impunity.
“If the government had applied the same energy in the prosecution of terrorists and bandits as it did in the trial of political critics, it would have gone a long way to send a powerful message to the outlaws that there are consequences for mass murder,” Atiku said.
According to Atiku, the prosecution of terrorists and bandits should be accorded the highest priority by the Attorney General of the Federation.
He explained that there should be special courts to fast-track the trial and conviction of terrorists in the country.
“Hundreds of terrorists and bandits have been in custody since 2016 without trial, and the delay in bringing them to justice is demoralising to our security forces. If terrorists and bandits are captured and then are left in custody longer than necessary without trial, it will undermine the efforts and sacrifices of our security forces,” the former vice president explained further.
According to him, “our criminal justice system is notoriously slow and as a result, terrorists and bandits are thus encouraged to feel that crime pays.”
He also expressed “embarrassment at how armed criminal groups cross through our borders to carry our terrorist activities in Nigeria.”
Atiku added that condemnation of terrorist attacks by the government is not enough, saying that what is needed are prompt and proactive measures to forestall further attacks and loss of innocent lives.
He noted that as long as the terrorists and bandits are operating successfully without consequences, they will continue to attack innocent people again and again.
Atiku called on the National Assembly to urgently introduce a legislation to allow state governments to adequately arm their security outfits with modern weapons to complement the efforts of security forces who appear to be overstretched in terms of men and resources.
However, the former Vice president also blamed community members who serve as informants to armed groups.
He stated that community members have a role to play in their own security by providing intelligence to our security forces about the presence and activities of bandits and terrorists in their midst.
Atiku applauded the rare sacrifices of the security forces in counter-terrorism operations, adding that without public support, the criminals can not succeed.
