President Bola Tinubu has ordered a full-scale security offensive following a deadly attack in Plateau State that claimed at least 51 lives in the early hours of Monday, April 14, 2025.
The assault on Zikke and Kakpa communities in Bassa Local Government Area marks another grim chapter in the state’s long-running cycle of violence.
Eyewitnesses and local leaders confirmed the attack, which began around midnight and lasted over an hour, left dozens injured and homes razed. Survivors said gunmen invaded the villages in large numbers, opening fire and setting buildings ablaze.
Reacting swiftly, President Tinubu condemned the killings and directed security agencies to identify and apprehend the perpetrators. In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President urged Governor Caleb Mutfwang to take decisive steps to end the communal strife plaguing the region.
“We cannot allow this devastation and the tit-for-tat attacks to continue. Enough is enough,” Tinubu stated. “I have instructed security agencies to thoroughly investigate this crisis and identify those responsible.”
He called on Plateau’s political leadership to address the root causes of the conflict, often linked to long-standing ethno-religious tensions and competition over land between farmers and herders. The President emphasised the importance of political will in confronting these issues and fostering unity across ethnic and religious lines.
The latest violence follows a string of similar attacks. Just two weeks ago, at least 52 people were killed in coordinated assaults across several communities, displacing nearly 2,000 people, according to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
Human rights group Amnesty International Nigeria condemned the recurring attacks and demanded accountability. “The inexcusable security lapses that enabled this horrific attack, two weeks after the killing of 52 people, must be investigated,” the organisation said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM) has called on the Federal Government to declare Fulani militants as a terrorist group. The group cited persistent attacks in Hurti, Bokkos, and Irigwe Kimakpa as signs of an orchestrated campaign of terror in the state.
In a joint statement, BYM leaders Solomon Mwantiri and Bature Adazaram described the attacks as “systemic premeditated killings” and referenced a circulating video allegedly showing perpetrators vowing to destabilise Plateau.
Despite the bloodshed, there was a glimmer of hope on Sunday night as troops of the 3 Division of the Nigerian Army and Operation Safe Haven rescued 16 kidnapped passengers, including six children, along the Jos-Mangu road. The operation was triggered by the discovery of an abandoned vehicle at Mararaban Kantoma in Mangu LGA.
According to Major Samson Zhakom, spokesperson for Operation Safe Haven, troops engaged the kidnappers in a firefight, forcing them to flee and abandon the captives. First aid was administered to injured victims, who were then escorted safely to Jos.
Plateau State, situated in Nigeria’s ethnically and religiously diverse Middle Belt, has witnessed decades of conflict often portrayed as clashes between Muslim herders and Christian farmers. However, experts point to deeper issues such as dwindling grazing lands due to climate change and agricultural expansion.
