President Bola Tinubu has condemned the latest attack in Plateau State and asked the state’s leaders to find a lasting solution to the ongoing communal violence.
This comes after gunmen killed at least 51 people and injured many others in the early hours of Monday in Zikke and Kakpa communities in Bassa Local Government Area. The incident happened just two weeks after a similar attack left dozens dead.
According to the National Emergency Management Agency, gunmen killed 52 people and displaced nearly 2,000 last week in different parts of the state. Plateau has often seen clashes between farmers and cattle herders.
Residents reported that 51 bodies were found in Zikke and Kimakpa villages, with several more people injured. The cause of the attack is still unknown.
“We cannot continue to allow this devastation and these tit-for-tat attacks. Enough is enough,” Tinubu said in a statement released Monday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The statement, titled “President Tinubu Condemns Latest Attack in Plateau, Charges Governor Mutfwang to Resolve Underlying Communal Issues,” calls for immediate efforts to stop the violence.
Tinubu expressed sadness over the killings and offered condolences to Governor Caleb Mutfwang and the people of Plateau State.
He said, “The ongoing violence between communities in Plateau State, rooted in misunderstandings between different ethnic and religious groups, must cease.”
The President asked Governor Mutfwang to address the deeper issues behind the conflict.
“Beyond dealing with the criminal elements of these incessant killings, the political leadership in Plateau State, led by Governor Caleb Mutfwang, must address the root cause of this age-long problem.
“These problems have been with us for more than two decades. We can no longer ignore the underlying issues.
“It is time to tackle them fairly and find a lasting solution. I have discussed these problems with the governor over time and offered suggestions for lasting peace,” he added.
Tinubu urged community, religious, and political leaders to join forces to end the cycle of revenge attacks.
He said, “I have instructed security agencies to thoroughly investigate this crisis and identify those responsible for orchestrating these violent acts.”
He also reaffirmed the Federal Government’s support for Plateau State in efforts to promote peace and unity.
“The Federal Government remains committed to supporting Governor Mutfwang and the Plateau State government in promoting dialogue, fostering social cohesion, and ensuring accountability—crucial steps towards permanently resolving the conflict in Plateau,” he said.
A youth leader, Joseph Chudu, confirmed the attack from Jos. He said gunmen entered the communities at midnight, shooting and burning houses.
Chudu said, “The attack lasted for more than one hour. Many who sustained injuries have been evacuated to the Jos University Teaching Hospital. Please, we need blood for the injured.”
Amnesty International Nigeria also responded to the attack.
“The inexcusable security lapses that enabled this horrific attack, two weeks after the killing of 52 people, must be investigated,” the group said in a statement, adding that homes were also looted and burned during the violence.
Plateau State, located in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, is home to many ethnic and religious groups. Violence in the state is often blamed on conflict between Muslim herders and mostly Christian farmers, though shrinking grazing land and climate change have also contributed.
Youths Condemn Attacks
The Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM) called on the Federal Government to label Fulani militants as a terrorist group following repeated attacks in Plateau communities.
The group condemned recent killings in Hurti, Bokkos, Irigwe Kimakpa, and the Monday attack on Zikke and Kakpa.
In a statement issued in Jos, signed by National President Solomon Mwantiri and General Secretary Bature Adazaram, the BYM said:
“The BYM is deeply saddened by the systematic and premeditated killings of innocent residents in Bokkos and Bassa. The latest bloodbath, which occurred last night, April 12, 2025, claimed the lives of at least 50 innocent villagers, including women and children, in Bassa LGA. These attacks, carried out without any justification, have left the defenseless population in fear.”
“According to information available to us, the armed Fulani militants, who attacked Kimakpa and Zike villages of Kwall in Iriggwe Chiefdom last night, at about 8pm of Sunday was carried out while Plateau State is yet to recover from the genocide meted out on villages of Hurti community, Bokkos LGA on the 2nd April, 2025 which is unarguably an act of terrorism that confirms a virally circulated video credited to the terror actors, who vowed to make the security situation unbearable in the state.”
The group also called on lawmakers to pass laws that would allow citizens to carry arms for self-defense.
Troops Rescue 16 Kidnapped Passengers
Meanwhile, troops from the 3 Division of the Nigerian Army and Operation Safe Haven rescued 16 passengers who were kidnapped along the Jos–Mangu road.
The rescue took place around 9pm on Sunday after troops found an abandoned vehicle at Mararaban Kantoma in Mangu Local Government Area.
In a statement on Monday, the spokesman for Operation Safe Haven, Major Samson Zhakom, said troops searched the nearby bushes after finding the vehicle and discovered the kidnapped passengers.
He said the kidnappers opened fire on the troops, but they were overpowered.
The statement read:
“Troops of 3 Division Nigerian Army and Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) have rescued 16 passengers kidnapped along Jos–Mangu road in Plateau State. The rescue operation began when troops conducting Operation LAFIYAN JAMA’A discovered an empty vehicle abandoned by the roadside at Mararaban Kantoma in Mangu Local Government Area of the state at about 9pm local time on 13 April 2025.
“The troops immediately searched the nearby bushes to trace the occupants of the vehicle suspected to have been kidnapped. The kidnappers, on sighting the troops, opened fire, but our troops overwhelmed the criminals with superior firepower forcing them to abandon the victims and flee. Troops exploited the general area and rescued all 16 abducted passengers, which included six children.
“Troops administered first aid to some of the rescued victims who sustained minor injuries during the incident. Thereafter, troops escorted the victims to safety to continue their journey to Jos metropolis. Meanwhile, troops are on the lookout for the fleeing kidnappers suspected to have sustained gunshot wounds during the encounter.”
