Survivors of the recent attacks in Bokkos and Bassa local government areas of Plateau State have narrated their pains, sorrows and woes they went through when the attackers invaded their communities in April, 2025.
The attacks were launched by suspected Fulani militia on communities in Bokkos and Bassa where 150 residents and property worth millions of naira were destroyed.
Some of the traumatized survivors who spoke to Leadership Newspaper, said they are still struggling to come to terms with the heavy losses they suffered when terrorists invaded their communities.
For John Mai’Agwan, a 52-year-old man who lost four children, four cousins and three in-laws, the pain is unbearable.
He said the gunmen, in one fell swoop, killed 11 of his family members.
In his lamentation during an interview with the newspaper, Mai’Agwan said life is cruel, miserable, and bitter for him.
The same goes for Jerry Mwa, who also lost two of his children, wife, and three grandchildren in the attacks. The echoes of gunfire still linger in his mind and the memories of his loved ones loom large in his grief-stricken heart.
According to Mwa, they were sleeping when, at 1:30am on the fateful day, he heard gunshots in the area. He said before he could rush out, he was overwhelmed by the attackers and in the ensuing confusion his son and the grandchildren were burnt inside their room.
He said his family had already gathered their ashes for proper burial.
For Mrs. Wiki Kaja, a 35-year-old housewife, her husband, three children, mother-in-law, and five of her husband’s siblings were mowed down by the heartless assailants.
While narrating her ordeal, Mrs. Wiki appealed to the federal government to deploy Mobile Police Force to the affected areas to flush out the gunmen from their communities.
Still in shock, Mai’Angwan said he was told that army uniforms were not sold in the open market and asked how the militiamen got the army camouflage fatigues they wore.
He said, “If the federal government has no hand in what is happening to us, they should do the needful by protecting us. In fact, on that day, bullets were flying everywhere.”
Forty-four-old farmer Sunday Gudu said he lost two children and six other extended family members in the attack
Gudu claimed that throughout the period that the attack lasted, the militiamen had a field day as there were no security operatives in his community.
He appealed to the federal government to stop the senseless killings in Plateau, Benue, and other states of the federation, stressing that without the people there cannot be governance.
On what to do next, Mwa said:
“We have been calling on federal and state governments to stop these killings but till now nothing has been done.
“We cannot leave our ancestral homes for them (killers) because this is our inheritance. I am calling on governments at all levels to intervene. As it is right now, I am only left with my working stick,” he said.
For Mrs. Wiki Kaja, a housewife who lost 10 members of her family, consisting of her husband, mother-in-law, and her husband’s siblings, the federal government should deploy Mobile Police Force units to the affected areas to chase out the bandits from the communities.
Meanwhile, leaders of community associations said over 500 members of their communities have been killed from December 2023 till date.
The national president of Irigwe Development Association (IDA), Dr. Daniel Gya, said from 2023 till date, 146 persons were killed at Irigwe land.
He said the killings started in 2001, adding that from 2016 to 2023, they have lost about 1,014 persons.
He added that during the period, several communities were destroyed while many of the residents were displaced.
Gya further claimed that from 2001 to 2025, 21,224 homes were burnt while 21, 876 farms and 212 barns were destroyed in the area.
He, however, said there were no internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps on Irigwe land, stressing that when such attacks happen, whole villages were wiped out while the victims relocated and reintegrated among their relations in other areas.
“They live in the homes of their relatives. In fact, it is not even safe for us to put our people in IDP camps because they are not safe there. People are rather reintegrated in the homes of their loved ones.
“How can from 2001 till date, 1, 176 people be killed just like that? Does this show that the federal government, the military, and the police are protecting the people?
“We are talking about 1,176 over a period of 25 years. In less than 10 years, from 2016 till date, we are talking about over 1,100 persons killed. If something is going on consistently like this, can we say that those who are saddled with the responsibility of protecting life and property are doing their constitutional duties?” he asked.
Speaking on the way forward, the Irigwe leader said:
“Everybody is aware that the US government declared the Fulani militias the fourth deadliest terrorist group and the same people have killed and maimed innocent citizens of the state.
“In Barkin Ladi LGA alone, the governor was quoted to have said 53 communities have been renamed and taken over by the same militias.
“If these people have proven themselves to be as deadly as this, why is it difficult for the federal government to proscribe them as a terrorist group?”
According to him, unless the government categorise and classify them as a terrorist group, the killings would continue.
But in a swift reaction, the state chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Yusuf Babayo, described the allegation that Fulani herders were responsible for the killings as a fabrication of lies against the hardworking herdsmen.
Babayo said the Fulani herders were also victims of the persistent attacks and killings in the state.
He called on the herders to remain peaceful and to report any breach of peace to law enforcement agencies for prompt actions.
