Politics
Anger boils over massacres by herdsmen
“It’s Audacious Land Grab” – Gov. Mutfwang
The deadly assault on Monday by suspected Fulani herdsmen on Kimakpa, Kwall district of Bassa Local Government Area, Plateau State, which resulted in the death 51 individuals, with several homes set ablaze during the assault, is the latest episode in Nigeria’s ongoing crisis of violence and insecurity.
It came hours after similar attacks on Mandung-Mushu and Kopnanle villages in Bokkos Local Government Area of the state, which led to the deaths of about 10 people.
The incident, confirmed by Barr. Farmasum Fuddang, Chairman of the Bokkos Cultural Development Council (BCDC) Vanguard, reflects years of persistent conflict that has expanded from Plateau to other parts of the country, leaving sorrow, devastation, and displacement in its wake.
For over a decade, armed groups described as bandits and herdsmen have caused destruction in states across the North West, North East, and North Central regions. In the North West and North East, the clashes are often framed around resource competition between ethnic Hausa and Fulani communities, involving disputes over farmland and grazing routes, exacerbated by the growing presence of illegal mining.
In contrast, the conflicts in North Central and the South are widely perceived as coordinated land grabs. Attacks in Benue, Enugu, Ondo, and other states, many say, point to a calculated effort to forcefully seize land and displace indigenous communities. This has stirred anger and suspicions of a larger agenda.
The April 11 attack in Bokkos came just weeks after another massacre on March 28, when at least 52 people were killed in coordinated raids on communities in Bokkos and Bassa LGAs. These are only a fraction of the attacks that have occurred recently. In Ondo State, four murdered farmers were transported to the Government House in Akure by outraged residents, their corpses wrapped in leaves and carried on motorbikes as a grim protest.
According to witnesses, the farmers were ambushed on their way to the fields by armed herders in the Thirteen-Thirteen settlement. This incident followed a similar attack in the same local government area, where five other farmers were murdered, prompting community members to protest with the victims’ bodies in coffins.
“The killings have become unbearable,” said Taiwo Samuel, a traditional ruler, who led the protest. “The government promised security, but nothing has changed. If we defend ourselves, we will be arrested. So, who protects us?”
A Broader Land Grab Operation?
Over the past 15 years, assaults attributed to Fulani herders have intensified, with observers suggesting a deliberate campaign to seize land and establish dominance.
Chief Tola Adeniyi, a veteran columnist and former Managing Director of the Daily Times of Nigeria, argues that the attacks reflect a broader ethnic agenda. “There is an ethnic group in Nigeria that wants to dominate permanently. They arrived much later than others and are now trying to displace original landowners,” he said.
According to him, groups like the Igbo, Yoruba, and Izon have occupied Nigeria for thousands of years, while Fulani influence became prominent only from the 1800s. “You can’t come yesterday and claim the land,” he added.
Communities in states like Benue and Plateau have not only been attacked but also occupied by the aggressors. Many displaced individuals now live in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. In February, Benue State lawmaker Terseer Ugbor alleged that Fulani herdsmen had taken over 40 percent of the state’s land.
Similarly, Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang recently stated that 64 communities in Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, and Riyom LGAs had been overrun and renamed by attackers.
“These communities were attacked in 2023 but bounced back. Now they are under siege again,” Mutfwang said. “This has been ongoing for over 10 years. It’s not random; it’s coordinated. It’s simply an audacious land grab.”
Ethnic Cleansing
Governor Mutfwang labeled the sustained violence in Plateau as genocide, not a farmer-herder conflict. Speaking during the “Experience Plateau: Art Meets Fashion” event in Abuja, he rejected attempts to normalize the violence.
“We will not be forced into perpetual mourning,” he said. “What is happening is genocide. The international community must take note. Powerful forces are behind these atrocities, but justice will prevail.”
Victims have been murdered in their sleep, during vigils, and while farming. “May their blood cry out for justice,” Mutfwang declared.
The Irigwe people of Bassa LGA echoed this sentiment. According to their community leaders, between 2001 and March 2025, there have been 2,866 attacks, 1,107 deaths, over 400 injuries, and the destruction of thousands of homes, barns, and farms. Most victims remain in abject poverty.
Benue Monarchs Decry Suspected Herdsmen’s Siege
At the weekend, the Gwer West Local Government Traditional Council of Benue State decried the continued siege laid by armed herdsmen on 15 council wards in the local council, while lamenting widespread attacks, including rape, murder, and the destruction of homes and farmlands. One person was reported killed in the state on Sunday, the latest of the continuing violence that has seen over 2 million forced to IDP camps in the state.
Rising Tensions
Tensions have further escalated following the killing of 16 Hausa hunters in Uromi, Edo State. Traveling from Port Harcourt to Kano for Eid celebrations, they were allegedly identified as kidnappers and killed by locals angered by previous abductions blamed on herdsmen.
A journalist, who declined to be named, said the Fulani operate as a supra-national group, maintaining loyalty to their ethnic network above the Nigerian state. “They communicate all the way up the chain, even if it’s a shoemaker. They are never disconnected from their central movement,” he alleged.
He echoed sentiments shared by Odia Ofeimun, who noted that full Nigerian citizenship must be extended to all ethnic groups to prevent superiority complexes. “Fulani in government are seen as agents of the Fulani movement. They can’t betray it,” he said.
The Danjuma Warning
Former Defence Minister Gen. T.Y. Danjuma’s past warnings are once again making the rounds. In a 2022 video, he called for self-defense, insisting the military has failed to protect Nigerians.
“In 2018, I said we must defend ourselves because the armed forces won’t. They denied it and set up a bogus inquiry. But now the evidence is overwhelming,” he said.
He alleged that foreign invaders were allowed into Nigeria with government complicity, and are now killing even Muslims and destroying mosques. “They are armed to the teeth. But we have the numbers and it’s our land. We must defend it.”
Expanding Southward
The violence has not spared the South. Enugu, Delta, Ebonyi, and Bayelsa have all reported herdsmen-related incidents. In Enugu, old wounds from the 2016 Uzo Uwani massacre have reopened amid attacks in Eha-Amufu, Udi, and other areas. Business Hallmark investigations confirmed that some reports were exaggerated, but others were real.
Donatus Ndubuisi, a 39-year-old student, was recently murdered in Eha-Amufu. A woman was also raped, and four corpses were discovered. These incidents have reignited fears of herdsmen encroachment.
Afenifere, the Yoruba socio-political group, has raised alarms over the influx of herders in the South-West. Veteran broadcaster Otunba Deji Osibogun, in a piece titled “The War That Is Imminent,” warned of forest encampments and motorcycle-riding youth allegedly trained for violence.
“These young men cluster in markets, parks, and high-brow areas. They are not traditional Fulani or Hausa speakers. They sleep on bikes during the day. What they do at night, we don’t know,” he said.
Recently freed Afenifere Youth President, Eniola Ojajuni, claimed there are 55 armed camps in the South-West, mostly in Ondo State. He urged security sweep across southern forests.
Government Criticism and Political Fallout
President Bola Tinubu, as an opposition leader, was a fierce critic of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s handling of Boko Haram. But now in power, his administration faces similar accusations of failure.
Human rights activist, Hajiya Najatu Muhammad, blamed the April Plateau massacre on government incompetence. “We are in horror and terror. This government has failed,” she wrote in a statement titled, “Communities in the Abyss, Country on the Brink.”
She accused the government of tribalism in appointments and neglecting real threats while prioritizing political interests. The security agencies, she argued, are compromised. She described NSA Nuhu Ribadu’s claim that insecurity had decreased by 90% as “absurd.”
“When leaders lie about the nation’s security, we are doomed. The massacre went on for hours without intervention,” she said.
Police Response
In response, Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, ordered the deployment of tactical units to Plateau. According to Force PRO Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the move is part of a broader effort to stabilize embattled communities.
While the gesture is a start, critics argue it may be too little, too late. Until Nigeria addresses the root causes of the violence—land disputes, ethnic supremacy, and ineffective governance—the cycle of bloodshed may continue unchecked.
