By Zagazola Makama
As fresh graves are dug in Kimakpa Village following yet another blood-soaked night, the haunting question echoes across Plateau State: Will the government act before the entire region plunges into uncontrollable chaos?
On his official X handle, renowned security analyst and counterinsurgency expert Zagazola Makama sounded the alarm: “As Kimakpa Mourns, All Eyes Should Turn to Mangu.” His warning is not only timely—it’s a chilling forecast of what could lie ahead.
A Disturbing Pattern Emerges
The massacre in Kimakpa, Miango District, is more than an isolated incident. It is part of a horrifying sequence of coordinated, highly sophisticated attacks that have claimed hundreds of lives across Plateau State. This isn’t random violence. It’s a systematic assault on communities, revealing glaring deficiencies in security response, intelligence operations, and perhaps most damning of all—the political will to act.
Despite the persistent “unknown gunmen” narrative peddled by authorities, local communities are no longer buying it. The faceless attackers are not as invisible as claimed. They live among us, walk our streets, and eat from the same markets. Yet, no one dares speak their names. The silence is deafening—and dangerous.
This Is Not Just About Land
To suggest that these atrocities are solely about land or grazing routes is not just inaccurate—it is an insult to the dead. The sheer precision, frequency, and impunity of the attacks reveal something far more sinister. This is organized terror, enabled by networks profiting from bloodshed and disorder. Some of these enablers are known. Yet fear, complicity, and political shielding allow them to operate unchecked.
The time has come to rip away the veil of fear and expose the truth. Plateau will never know peace until this culture of silence is shattered.
Mangu: The Next Flashpoint?
Barely a day after the Kimakpa carnage, trouble flared in Murish village, Mangu Local Government Area, where 30 armed youths reportedly rustled cattle. Twenty-one-year-old Abdullahi Suleiman is still missing. Of the stolen livestock, only 11 have been recovered. But the real danger lies not in the missing cows—but in what this incident could trigger. Mangu is simmering. And unless decisive action is taken, it could erupt into the next killing field.
Known Perpetrators, Unknown Justice
Security insiders, community leaders, and ordinary citizens know the bitter truth: those orchestrating these attacks are not phantoms. They are neighbours, relatives, and sometimes even those entrusted with local leadership. Yet, because of fear or vested interests, they remain untouched. The state reels under two kinds of violence—the reported and the ignored. The latter is often “managed,” dismissed, or swept under the rug, further emboldening the killers.
It is both simplistic and dangerous to blame these atrocities on ethnic tensions alone. These attacks are strategic—they are political. They thrive on division, weakened governance, and deliberate indifference.
Let it be clear: the perpetrators are not hiding in some distant forest. They wear the faces of Fulani bandits, rogue vigilantes, criminal youth militias, and yes—politically connected influencers. If Plateau must survive, there must be no sacred cows.
What Must Be Done
1. Decisive Action Against Perpetrators: The Plateau State Government must go beyond arresting foot soldiers. The financiers, enablers, and godfathers of violence must face the full weight of the law—no matter how powerful.
2. Confront the Past with Courage: Plateau’s history is marred by unhealed wounds. Without an honest reckoning and truth-telling, peace will remain a pipe dream.
3. Empower Communities to Speak: The locals know the killers. Build systems to protect and incentivize community whistleblowers and truth-tellers.
4. Accountable Security Deployment: Mere deployment is not enough. What follows matters. Who gets arrested? Who faces justice? Who is protected?
Plateau State is at a tipping point. If the current trajectory continues, the consequences could be catastrophic—not just for Plateau but for Nigeria as a whole. The time for speeches and condolences is over. The people demand action. Justice. Peace. And accountability.
If Governor Caleb Mutfwang and the Plateau State Government truly wish to change the narrative, they must begin by answering the question millions are asking: Will Mangu burn like Kimakpa? Or will this be the moment Plateau says—never again?
PIONEER NEWS 