Nation
Death Toll in Latest Plateau Attack Rises to 51
The death toll from Monday’s attack on the Zike community in Kimakpa, Kwall district of Bassa Local Government Area, Plateau State, has climbed to 51, with several homes set ablaze during the assault.
According to Wakili Tongwe, a leader in the Kwall community, the attackers stormed the village in the early hours of Monday, firing sporadically at residents who were fleeing for safety.
Tongwe told Channels Television via phone that he and a team of vigilantes, along with some security personnel, were on patrol in another community when the assailants struck Zike village.
Despite efforts by security forces to repel the attackers, heavy casualties were already recorded. About 36 people were shot dead on the spot, while four others later succumbed to their injuries.
Several other residents suffered gunshot wounds and are currently receiving treatment in the hospital.
As of the time of reporting, security agencies in the state had not issued any official statement regarding the attack. This incident comes just under two weeks after 52 people were killed in communities within Bokkos Local Government Area.
Plateau State has long been plagued by violence, with gunmen routinely targeting communities. In December 2023, around 200 people were killed during Christmas celebrations in a predominantly Christian area. In May 2024, another 40 were killed and homes were destroyed in Wase.
While experts often cite the long-standing conflict over land and resources between farmers and herders as a primary cause, Plateau State Governor Caleb Muftwang believes there is more to it.
“I can tell you in all honesty that I cannot find any explanation other than genocide sponsored by terrorists,” Muftwang said in a recent interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today. “The question is, who are the persons behind the organisers of this terrorism? This is what the security agencies must help us to unravel.”
Muftwang further disclosed that bandits have taken control of 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,” he said. “They have been taken over, renamed, and people are living there conveniently on lands they pushed people away to occupy.”
In response to the escalating violence, the Federal Government has vowed to take decisive action. Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered the immediate and comprehensive deployment of police tactical units to the affected areas.
