JOS, Nigeria – Following the tragic attacks on the Zikke and Kimakpa communities in Plateau State’s Bassa Local Government Area (LGA), Governor Caleb Mutfwang convened an expanded state security council meeting on Monday, April 14, 2025, to address the rising insecurity and escalating violence in the region.
The meeting, held at the Council Chamber of the Government House in Jos, focused on finding decisive solutions to the resurgence of attacks in Bassa and Bokkos LGAs and aimed at restoring peace to the area.
Governor Mutfwang confirmed that over 100 armed militiamen had invaded the affected communities early on Monday, April 14, 2025, violently attacking innocent residents.
“We are on top of the situation and will go to any length to forestall a recurrence,” the governor assured the people of Plateau, vowing to take all necessary steps to prevent further bloodshed in the state.
The death toll from Monday’s assault has risen to 51, with several houses destroyed in the attack.
Mutfwang announced that further details regarding the attack would be provided in a broadcast scheduled for Tuesday, April 15, 2025.
The Governor’s statement came after Wakili Tongwe, a community leader from Kwall, explained that the attackers began shooting sporadically in the early hours, prompting residents to flee for safety.
Tongwe, who was on patrol in another community at the time of the attack, stated that despite efforts by a team of vigilantes and security personnel to repel the attackers, the damage was extensive.
At least 36 people were killed instantly, with four more dying from gunshot wounds. Other residents who sustained injuries are receiving medical care at local hospitals.
The attack comes less than two weeks after a similar assault in Bokkos LGA, where 52 people were killed.
Plateau State has long struggled with violence, with gunmen regularly raiding communities.
Last December, a bloody attack during the Christmas holiday claimed the lives of around 200 people in a predominantly Christian community.
In May 2024, another 40 people were killed, and homes were set ablaze in Wase.
Experts attribute the ongoing violence to resource conflicts between farmers and herders, but Governor Mutfwang has suggested that the attacks may be more sinister.
In a recent appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, he stated, “I can tell you in all honesty that I cannot find any explanation other than genocide sponsored by terrorists. The question is, who are the persons behind the organisers of this terrorism? This is what the security agencies must help us to unravel.”
Mutfwang also revealed that bandits have taken control of at least 64 communities in Plateau, particularly in Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, and Riyom LGAs.
“As I am talking to you, there are not less than 64 communities that have been taken over by bandits on the Plateau,” he said, adding that these communities have been renamed, and displaced residents have been forced off their land to make way for the bandits’ occupation.
