Gunmen launched a deadly pre-dawn assault on Zike community in Plateau State’s Bassa Local Government Area on Monday, killing at least 40 residents in the latest attack to rock the volatile region. The massacre comes just two weeks after 52 people were slaughtered in neighboring Bokkos LGA, further exposing the failure of security measures to protect vulnerable communities.
Eyewitness accounts describe armed invaders storming Kimakpa village in Kwall District around 2:00 AM, firing indiscriminately at fleeing residents. Local community leader Wakili Tongwe reported that while vigilantes and security forces eventually repelled the attackers, the assault left 36 dead at the scene with four others succumbing to injuries later. Medical personnel are currently treating an unspecified number of wounded survivors at nearby hospitals.
This latest bloodshed continues Plateau’s brutal cycle of violence that Governor Caleb Muftwang has characterized as “sponsored genocide” rather than simple farmer-herder clashes. The governor recently revealed shocking territorial losses, stating that armed bandits have forcibly occupied and renamed 64 communities across Bokkos, Barkin Ladi and Riyom local government areas after displacing indigenous populations.
The Federal Government’s response remains under scrutiny as these attacks follow a familiar pattern of coordinated violence with minimal preventive action. Despite Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun’s deployment of tactical units to the state, the recurring massacres – including the Christmas 2023 attack that killed 200 and last May’s Wase assault that left 40 dead – continue unabated.
Security analysts note the attacks are growing more sophisticated, with assailants increasingly targeting communities during vulnerable nighttime hours and exploiting apparent intelligence gaps. The situation has sparked renewed calls for either emergency rule or a complete overhaul of counterterrorism strategies in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region.
