At least 28 people have been killed in a renewed wave of attacks across parts of Plateau State despite a dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed by the state government to restore peace and prevent further loss of life.
The affected areas, including Mangu, Bokkos and Barkin Ladi, have witnessed repeated attacks in recent weeks, heightening fears among residents, disrupting farming and cattle grazing and forcing many people to abandon their livelihoods.
The latest incident occurred on Friday, October 3, when two people were killed and six others injured after gunmen reportedly attacked Fulani herders travelling in a pickup vehicle around Total Filling Station in Bukuru, Jos South Local Government Area.
The incident occurred less than two weeks after gunmen attacked herders around Kassa community in Barkin Ladi, killing five people and injuring another.
The Plateau State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, Ibrahim Yusuf Babayo, who confirmed the latest attack in Jos, said the victims were attacked at about 5:30 p.m. while returning from a cattle market to Bassa Local Government Area.
Babayo condemned the attack and called on security agencies to identify and prosecute those responsible, describing the incident as unprovoked and disturbing.
He said the injured victims had been taken to hospital for treatment, while one person remained missing.
The spokespersons for Operation Enduring Peace and the Plateau State Police Command, Captain Polycarp Oteh and SP Alabo Alfred, respectively, did not respond to inquiries as of press time.
The renewed attacks have continued despite the curfew imposed by the Plateau State Government on September 21 following concerns over the deteriorating security situation.
The restriction of movement, which runs from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily until further notice, affects Barkin Ladi, Bokkos and Mangu. The government said the measure was introduced to enable security agencies to stabilise the affected communities, protect lives and prevent a breakdown of law and order.
Security personnel were also directed to enforce the curfew, alongside a ban on motorcycles in the affected areas.
However, several attacks have been recorded since the restrictions were introduced, raising fresh questions about the effectiveness of the security measures and the ability of authorities to protect residents in volatile communities.
The violence has persisted despite the September 16 visit of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, to Plateau following killings in Mangu and other parts of the state.
During the visit, Disu pledged that the police would intensify efforts to restore peace and strengthen security operations, while calling for greater cooperation between security agencies and communities.
However, fresh attacks followed the police chief’s visit.
On September 20, five Fulani herders were reportedly killed in Kassa community, Barkin Ladi, while transporting cattle from Bokkos to Jos South. The state government announced the curfew the following day.
On September 22, gunmen reportedly ambushed security personnel attached to Operation Rainbow along Gagshi Road, killing a police officer. Three Berom farmers were also reportedly killed at Rakok community in Barkin Ladi the same day.
In Mangu, three vigilantes of Mwaghavul extraction were reportedly ambushed and killed at the Kyikyau-Gyambwas boundary.
Two Berom miners were also killed at Gangare community, Barkin Ladi, on September 23 while carrying out mining activities.
The following day, a 27-year-old Fulani herder was reportedly killed, while about 30 cattle were allegedly rustled around Banka village in Mangu.
On September 25, three vigilantes, including a youth leader, were killed in Kassa community, Barkin Ladi. The attackers reportedly invaded the community around 1 a.m. and opened fire on the victims, who were on duty protecting the area.
The killings triggered protests, with residents reportedly calling on soldiers stationed in the area to leave amid frustration over repeated attacks despite the presence of security personnel.
On September 26, five miners were killed and two others injured when gunmen reportedly ambushed them at Marit community in Barkin Ladi.
The violence spread to Mangu on September 27 when gunmen attacked a herding community in Lamor, Pushit District. More than 20 cattle were reportedly killed, several others injured and over 70 declared missing.
A Fulani herder was also reportedly killed around Rakung village in Barkin Ladi on the same day.
On September 28, three women working at a mining site in Rakum community, Barkin Ladi, were killed while another person was injured after gunmen reportedly opened fire at the site.
A 14-year-old Fulani herder, Aliyu Ismail, was reportedly killed around Wereng community in Riyom Local Government Area on October 1.
The latest reported attack before the October 3 incident occurred when two Berom men from Heipang District, Barkin Ladi, were reportedly shot dead at a mining site around Kuru Jenta, near the boundary between Jos South and Barkin Ladi.
Beyond the loss of lives, the prolonged violence has severely disrupted economic activities, with farmers and herders suspending operations in parts of Mangu, Riyom and Barkin Ladi because of fears of further attacks.
READ ALSO: Seven Killed In Separate Plateau Attacks, Sand Pit Collapse
Residents said they could no longer freely access farms or grazing areas located far from their communities.
A resident of Dorowa Babuje in Barkin Ladi, Paul David, said the situation had become increasingly dangerous for farmers.
“We cannot go to the farm freely like before because you don’t know who is hunting for your life. We are no longer going to the farm as we used to. Farms that are far from the community cannot be accessed,” he said.
A herder in Lugere, Barkin Ladi, Habibu Ibrahim, said grazing had also become increasingly difficult because herders risked being attacked or losing their cattle.
“We don’t graze our cattle the way we used to because you can easily be attacked and killed. It is very difficult to move around because your life is at risk. We are being hunted by gunmen,” he said.
Another farmer from Bokkos, Christopher Rafan, said the insecurity had forced residents to alter their farming practices.
He said his cousin was killed while returning from the farm, adding that farmers had stopped planting tall crops such as maize and guinea corn close to communities because the crops could obstruct their view of approaching attackers.
Rafan urged the government to strengthen security in rural communities, particularly those not adequately covered by the existing curfew.
A herder in Riyom, Musa Abdullahi, similarly said insecurity had restricted grazing activities because herders could no longer safely move long distances with their cattle.
The latest violence has further deepened longstanding tensions between Berom and Fulani communities, with leaders of the two groups continuing to trade accusations over attacks on their members.
The conflict, which has been compounded by farmer-herder disputes, land ownership issues and the longstanding indigene-settler divide, has resulted in hundreds of deaths and the destruction of communities over the years.
The crisis also has an ethno-religious dimension dating back to the violent conflict that erupted in Jos in September 2001. The initial dispute later escalated into wider religious violence, leaving hundreds dead and many others displaced.
Mistrust between Christian and Muslim communities has persisted since then, with accusations and counter-accusations often following fresh attacks.
The violence subsequently spread into rural communities, particularly through farmer-herder conflicts, resulting in killings, destruction of property and displacement.
A committee established by Governor Caleb Mutfwang and chaired by retired General Nicholas Rogers to investigate the root causes of the crisis reportedly found that about 11,000 people had been killed in Plateau over two decades.
Successive federal and state governments have established committees and introduced various initiatives aimed at ending the violence, but attacks have continued.
Non-governmental organisations have also supported government efforts through dialogue, mediation and community resilience programmes.
Organisations including the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, Youth Initiative Against Violence and Human Rights Abuse, CLEEN Foundation and Justice, Development and Peace Commission have facilitated inter-community dialogue, mapped conflict drivers and supported local peace structures.
These efforts have produced peace accords in some flashpoint areas, including Riyom and Barkin Ladi, where communities agreed on responsible grazing, early reporting of incidents and measures to curb criminality and drug abuse.
However, the latest attacks have highlighted the fragility of those peace efforts.
The Executive Director of YIAVHA, Pwakim Jacob Choji, said the government needed to invest more in social cohesion and community dialogue.
Choji said growing grievances against government were undermining public confidence and contributing to the security challenges.
The Director of the Civil Liberties Organisation, Steve Aluko, said the crisis could be addressed if authorities tackled what he described as wrong profiling of criminal elements, weak enforcement of justice and inadequate security presence in difficult terrains.
He also advocated state policing and a regional security architecture that would combine intelligence gathering, analysis and effective deployment of security personnel.
The Vice-Chancellor of Plateau State University, Bokkos, Professor Shedrack Best, identified inadequate youth participation in peacebuilding as one of the factors sustaining the crisis.
Best, a professor of International Relations and Peace Building, said many peace initiatives focused on traditional, religious and community leaders while youths at the grassroots, who often bear the brunt of the violence, were left out.
He urged stakeholders to organise peacebuilding programmes in affected villages and directly involve young people in the process.
He also commended the Plateau State Peace Building Agency for taking peace initiatives to villages and local government areas.
With at least 28 people killed despite the curfew and repeated security assurances, residents are calling for stronger protection of vulnerable communities as stakeholders continue to seek a lasting solution to the cycle of violence in Plateau State.