Nigeria: Armed Herdsmen Attack Christian Community in Plateau

At least 40 people were killed in Nigeria’s Plateau State when armed assailants stormed the predominantly Christian Zike community in the Bassa region late Sunday night, President Bola Tinubu confirmed on Monday. The attackers, believed to be Muslim herders from the Fulani ethnic group, reportedly opened fire on unsuspecting villagers, including children and the elderly, in what is being described as one of the deadliest recent assaults in the region.

President Tinubu, expressing deep condolences, has directed security agencies to launch a full investigation and bring those responsible to justice. “I have instructed security agencies to thoroughly investigate this crisis and identify those responsible for orchestrating these violent acts,” he stated.

According to local resident Andy Yakubu, homes were not only attacked but also looted and destroyed. He reported witnessing dozens of bodies and warned the death toll could exceed 50. No arrests have been made so far.

Amnesty International condemned the violence, noting that the victims had no chance to escape. The group also highlighted the broader security crisis engulfing the north-central part of the country, where clashes over land between herders and farmers have escalated over the years. Between December 2023 and February 2024 alone, 1,336 people were reportedly killed in Plateau State, underlining the failure of current security measures.

The Irigwe Development Association, which represents the ethnic Irigwe people of Bassa, reported that at least 75 members of their community have been killed since December 2024. Its spokesperson, Samuel Jugo, called the latest attack “provocative, vexing, and undeserving,” questioning the effectiveness of increased military presence in the area.

The Fulani herders, who are often armed and mobile, have frequently clashed with Christian farming communities over access to grazing land and water. These confrontations have deepened religious and ethnic tensions across Nigeria’s Middle Belt, a region already fraught with instability.

This wave of violence is separate from Nigeria’s ongoing battle with Boko Haram in the northeast. That Islamist insurgency, which began in 2009, has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and displaced millions. The Boko Haram conflict, primarily driven by ideological extremism, continues to pose a major security threat to Nigeria and neighboring countries.

As authorities struggle to contain violence on multiple fronts, critics argue that the government’s response has been slow and insufficient. Many fear that continued insecurity in both rural and urban regions could further destabilize Africa’s most populous nation.