Plateau State Bleeds Again: Armed Herders Kill 51 People in Fresh Attack, Entire Families Wiped Out

At least 51 people have been killed in a fresh attack on Zike and Kimakpa villages in the Kwall district of Bassa Local Government Area, Plateau State. The attack happened in the early hours of Monday and has once again thrown communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt into mourning.

Local sources said the attackers, believed to be armed herders, arrived around 1:00 a.m. They began shooting and burning homes while people were still asleep. Many residents were injured, and others fled to nearby communities for safety.

A community leader, Wakili Tongwe, said he was on patrol with local security when they heard gunshots.

“I was on patrol in a neighbouring village with local vigilantes and security operatives when we heard the first rounds of gunfire. By the time we got back, 36 were already dead. Some died later from their wounds”, Tongwe said.

A mass burial took place on Monday. Families and neighbours gathered to mourn those who were killed. The motive behind the brutally violent attack is still unknown. However, Plateau State has a long history of conflict between farming communities and nomadic herders. These clashes have led to hundreds of deaths over the years.

This attack came just two weeks after another one in the Bokkos Local Government Area. In that incident, gunmen killed 52 people and destroyed several homes. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said the attack displaced nearly 2,000 people and lasted several days.

Many residents still mourn the Christmas Day killings of December 2023. In that incident, more than 150 people were killed in coordinated attacks across Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, and Mangu LGAs. The attacks happened while families were celebrating Christmas. Homes were burned, people were displaced, and entire communities were left in ruins. Other attacks have followed since then.

Danjuma Auta, National Secretary of the Irigwe Development Association, confirmed that at least 47 people were killed in Monday’s attack. However, the death has now risen to 51, with one family losing eight members in a single house.

Many houses were burnt down. Properties were destroyed. Entire families were wiped out, he said.

Amnesty International Nigeria strongly condemned the attack and said it showed apparent failure by the authorities to protect lives. The group, in a statement, said that the inexcusable security lapses that allowed the horrific attack to happen must be investigated.

Eli Ankala, who represents Rukuba/Irigwe in the Plateau State House of Assembly, blamed the government for its slow response. He said they had called for security outposts in vulnerable areas, but nothing had been done. He warned that the crisis could escalate further if people were pushed to defend themselves.

The rising violence in Plateau shows the fragile peace in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. For years, this region has suffered from ethnic and religious tensions. Community leaders and residents are now calling on the state and federal governments to take strong and lasting action to stop the killings.

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