At least 40 people were killed late Sunday night when suspected Muslim herders attacked the Zike community in north-central Nigeria’s Plateau state.
The assault, which left residents in fear for their lives, marks the latest in a series of violent attacks fueled by an ongoing conflict over land and resources.
President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria confirmed the attack on Monday, offering his condolences to the victims and their families. He announced that security agencies have been instructed to investigate the incident thoroughly.
“I have instructed security agencies to thoroughly investigate this crisis and identify those responsible for orchestrating these violent acts,” President Tinubu said in a statement.
The assailants, believed to be Fulani herders, launched their attack on the farming community in the early hours of Sunday, reportedly catching the victims off guard.
Amnesty International condemned the assault, describing how children, the elderly, and other innocent civilians were taken by surprise and unable to escape the gunmen’s wrath.
Local resident Andy Yakubu confirmed that homes were not only looted but also destroyed during the raid. He claimed to have witnessed bodies strewn across the community, with estimates suggesting that the death toll could exceed 50.
The Zike community, located in the Bassa area of Plateau state, has long been a hotspot for violence between herders and farmers.
Over the years, escalating tensions over land and water resources have exacerbated sectarian divisions between Nigeria’s Christian and Muslim populations.
The Fulani herders, a Muslim ethnic group, have often been implicated in violent attacks against farming communities in the region.
The violent clashes have left the area in turmoil, with local organizations like the Irigwe Development Association highlighting the ongoing brutality.
Samuel Jugo, the group’s spokesperson, expressed outrage at the attack, calling it “very provocative, vexing and undeserving.”
Jugo also revealed that the Irigwe, a Christian ethnic group in Plateau, has faced a staggering death toll, with at least 75 members killed since December 2024. Despite efforts to deploy additional security forces to the area, violence persists.
This most recent attack underscores the continuing failure of President Tinubu’s administration to curb the violence.
According to Amnesty International, the conflict in Plateau state is not an isolated incident. From December 2023 to February 2024 alone, 1,336 people were killed in the state due to similar attacks, highlighting the deepening crisis.
The violence in north-central Nigeria, however, is distinct from the conflict in the country’s northeast, where Boko Haram insurgents have waged an ongoing battle against the government since 2009.
While Boko Haram’s war aims to impose a radical version of Islamic law, the violence in the central region is rooted in a long-standing struggle over access to land and water, exacerbated by religious and ethnic tensions.
With no arrests made yet, and the violence showing no signs of abating, Nigeria faces increasing pressure to address the complex and deadly dynamics at play in the country’s northern and central regions.
