The National Publicity Secretary of the Irigwe Youth Movement, Joseph Chudu Yonkpa, has confirmed the killing of three Irigwe people by suspected Fulani militias who reportedly launched a deadly attack on Hwrra Village in the Kwall District of Bassa Local Government Area on Monday, April 7, 2025.
In a statement on Tuesday, Yonkpa gave the names of the deceased as Yakubu Mali, 48 years old, Mangwa Ive, 40 years old and Ezra Riti, 51 years old.
In the statement, Yonkpa said on Sunday, April 6, a day after the people celebrated the Zrrechi festival, “Fulani militias launched an ambush on our people heading to Hukke which they narrowly escaped via the whiskers.”
Continuing, he said:
“This incident is part of a disturbing trend of attacks that have claimed the lives of our people in the last four weeks:
“1. On April 2, 2025, Mr. Dewi Terry Nah, 33 years old, from Nzharuvo was stabbed to death by Fulani militias along Twin Hill (Gyu).
2. On March 24, 2025, Fulani militias launched an ambush opposite the shooting range, Twin Hill, killing Mr. Dumba Yohanna Monday, 33 years old, and another person who narrowly escaped.
3. On March 23, 2025, Fulani militias launched a devastating ambush on our people from Dundu, killing three individuals: Mr. John Avia, 48 years old, Mr. Sunday Dickson, 32 years old, and Mr. Peter Dickson, 30 years old.
4. On March 13, 2025, Fulani militias attacked two Irigwe sons at their farm in Yhwiba, killing Mr. Audu Buge, 24 years old, while Mr. Iche Sunday narrowly survived with serious injuries and is receiving treatment in an undisclosed location.
The atrocities committed by Fulani militias in Irigwe land extend beyond ambushes and attacks on our people.
Their cattle have been grazing on hecters of our irrigation farms with impunity, rendering countless families jobless and hungry as their only source of livelihood is destroyed.
The continued killings and destruction of our people’s means of livelihood are deliberate attempts to turn the Irigwe community into a lawless one. However, we remain undeterred, and our resolve to seek justice for our people is unshaken.
The leadership of the Irigwe Youth Movement calls on:
1. The Executive Chairman of Bassa LGA, Hon. Dr. Joshua Sunday Riti, to:
a. Collaborate with the state government and relevant security agencies to immediately arrest, halt, and prosecute the perpetrators and accomplices of these heinous crimes in Irigwe land.
b. Empower local vigilante groups within Bassa Local Government to boost security intelligence gathering and early warning signs, as these continued killings of our people must stop.
2. All political bigwigs in Irigwe land, illustrious sons and daughters, members of the state and national assembly, to come out openly and not only condemn these acts of inhumanity but also create measures to stop their reoccurrence.
3. The General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 3 Division Nigerian Army Headquarters, Bassa, and also the Commander of Operation Safe Haven Headquarters Jos, to beef up security architecture in Bassa by arresting the perpetrators of these heinous crimes in Irigwe land, Bokkos, and other communities of Plateau State, and all their accomplice and sponsors and bringing them to face the full wrath of the law.
4. Plateau State Emergency Management Agency (PLASEMA), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), non-governmental organizations, private and public servants, and other compassionate Nigerians to come to the aid of these attacked and troubled communities whose families and means of livelihood have been cut short by these marauders with essential materials, especially at these critical moments.
To our dear Irigwe people, may your spirits never be broken. Continue to pray and intensify vigilance within the ambits of the law. The Irigwe Youth Movement will continue to explore legal ways to seek justice and bring an end to these happenings in our land.
