GistNexus – April 5, 2025
The most recent brutal massacres of a few communities within Plateau State Bokkos LGA killed more than 50, the number of casualties now standing above 52. The sensational development has drawn angry reactions in Nigeria, particularly with officials continuing to discover bodies found in bushes near where individuals were reported missing. The massacre on Wednesday, April 3, 2025, saw communities being decimated.
The Attack: A Night of Horror
Gunmen attacked a series of villages in the Bokkos LGA, such as Mangor, Tamiso, Daffo, Manguna, Hurti, and Tadai. The first reports were 10 fatalities, but when search parties spread across the area looking for missing individuals, the figure skyrocketed. Farmasum Fuddang, Chairman, Bokkos Cultural Development Council (BCDC), said that 31 bodies were recovered and mass buried. Five bodies of children were burned beyond identification in Hurti, and 11 bodies were recovered from Ruwi village, with smaller numbers found in Manguna and Dafo villages.
Related News
Five (5) APC Executives Kidnapped by Bandits in Zamfara State
Kidnapped Lecturer in Zamfara Regains Freedom After One Month of Captivity
The people, who are now mourning the horrific deaths, have raised fears of further violence, and the incident has raised outcry from local leaders and politicians at the national level.
Government Response: Arrests Made, Security Measures Strengthened
In reaction to the attacks, the Plateau State government has confirmed that arrests have been made in connection with the killings. In a statement, Hon. Joyce Ramnap, Commissioner for Information and Communication, reiterated that the security forces were working day and night to bring back peace and apprehend the culprits. She added that Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s administration is fully committed to the safety and security of citizens of Plateau State.
The declaration went on to pledge that security officials had been deployed into the affected villages and attempts at reinstalling order were underway. Intelligence gathering and surveillance have been promised to be enhanced by the Governor along with security operators.
We urge religious, traditional, and community leaders to embrace the message of peace, harmony, and legal engagement,” Ramnap said, urging residents to continue being law-abiding while reporting any suspicious incidents to the relevant authorities.
Atiku Abubakar’s Critique of Nigeria’s Security Situation
Blunt opposition leader and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has blamed the violence on what he called the failure of President Bola Tinubu’s security system. In a social media post, Atiku complained of rising violent attacks across the country, noting that the attacks often go unreported.
Related News
Five (5) APC Executives Kidnapped by Bandits in Zamfara State
Kidnapped Lecturer in Zamfara Regains Freedom After One Month of Captivity
The failure of Bola Tinubu’s security system is now an endemic national pattern of serial killings, more of which do not even make the headlines,” Atiku wrote. He added that Nigerians are now more desensitized to violence, as killings have become a routine part of the daily news cycle.
Atiku has demanded a quick reformation of the nation’s security infrastructure to adequately respond to the growing threat to public security. He accused President Tinubu’s administration of prioritizing the security of the lives and property of Nigerians and appealing for better security measures.
Dachung Bagos Demands National Response on Security
Another Plateau State political leader, former House of Representatives member Dachung Bagos, also condemned the bloodshed. Bagos, the former chairperson of the House Committee on Science and Technology, criticized the government for its failure to secure communities, especially the north.
Bagos made a statement urging more active measures to forestall such attacks, emphasizing that the federal government should ensure sufficient security for citizens in Plateau State. He also reaffirmed his call for the creation of state police, which he thinks would give local authorities more powers to tackle security issues more effectively.
“Communities must rally to defend one another,” Bagos said. He also urged the National Assembly to accelerate the creation of state police to allow for more effective community policing, which would allow local governments to better manage their security requirements.
The former congressman also extended his condolences to the victims’ families, noting the lasting impact the violence has had on the community.
Peter Obi Decries the Killings, Demands Urgent Action from Government
Peter Obi, a former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has also spoken out against the killings in Bokkos. Obi decried the rising violence and the seeming normalization of such attacks nationwide.
The murder was called “yet another senseless attack” on the Nigerian people by Obi in a press release issued through social media. He emphasized the gory nature of the violence and that children and pregnant women perished, and wanted to associate himself with the people of Bokkos.
Related News
Five (5) APC Executives Kidnapped by Bandits in Zamfara State
Kidnapped Lecturer in Zamfara Regains Freedom After One Month of Captivity
“I woke up today morning reading the news of yet another gory and very agonizing report out of Bokkos, Plateau State.”. Entire families have once again been killed in another avoidable attack. Children and pregnant women were not left behind,” Obi lamented. He further decried the government’s response to the increasing trend of violence, noting that most communities across the country, including Plateau, Benue, Enugu, Anambra, and Ondo states, now live in dread of being attacked due to a lack of protection.
“How much longer are these murders, abductions, injuring, and crime going to persist in our war-free nation? How much longer do we need to wait until we take affirmative action and remedy this egregious circumstance that is holding our nation back?” Obi pleaded, appealing to the government to act decisively and bring an end to the violence as well as arrest perpetrators.
The former governor of Anambra State highlighted that the government must act fast to secure Nigerian citizens and end the cycles of violence that have devastated communities. He also sent his condolences to the victims’ families, reiterating his belief that no Nigerian should live in fear of such attacks.
Security Challenges: A Nationwide Crisis
The deadly assaults in Plateau State are just one part of a broader pattern of insecurity that has afflicted Nigeria in recent years. From armed banditry to communal clashes and kidnapping for ransom, much of the country is still bedeviled by poor security.
Experts have always recognized that the country’s security architecture is overstretched and underfinanced. The call for state police has been popular as it is believed to bring more localized, effective solutions to security crises. However, state police establishment remains a contentious issue since some believe that it would be used and cause more fragmentation of the security forces.
With Plateau violence spinning out of control, demands for a stronger and more holistic security policy by the federal government to tackle the proximate causes and underlying reasons for the violence are growing.
A Call for Unity and Action
The horrific Bokkos killings once again highlighted the need for action to protect citizens from violence. Whereas the country’s leaders continue to demand reforms in the security apparatus of the nation, Plateau State citizens are left to suffer the devastation. Whereas government officials have issued promises of more effective security measures, only time will inform us as to whether such will be enough to end the violence.
Meanwhile, the grieving people of Bokkos are crying out for justice, and the rest of the country waits with bated breath for change to arrive before more lives are lost.
Related News
Five (5) APC Executives Kidnapped by Bandits in Zamfara State
Kidnapped Lecturer in Zamfara Regains Freedom After One Month of Captivity
Reported by GistNexus Team and Edited by Mr. Chibueze Onwuka