A fresh wave of violence has rocked Plateau State, leaving at least four herders dead, nine cattle slaughtered, and several houses reduced to ashes in a renewed bout of communal bloodshed in Bokkos and Bassa Local Government Areas (LGAs) on Tuesday.
The coordinated attacks, which struck less than 24 hours after a midnight massacre of seven family members in the Kopmur community of Mushere District, have heightened fears of an imminent resurgence of deadly reprisals across the region.
Eyewitness accounts reveal that five individuals—mostly women—sustained gunshot wounds and are currently battling for their lives at a local hospital in Bokkos.
According to Daily Trust, the most recent assaults occurred in Tangoron village, Bassa LGA, and the troubled Mushere axis of Bokkos. The Plateau State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Ibrahim Yusuf Babayo, confirmed the grim events.
“I personally visited the scenes of the attacks,” Babayo said. “In Tangoron, armed gunmen ambushed a herder and slaughtered nine of his cows while they grazed. In Mushere, another herder was brutally killed. I have already briefed the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Division of the Nigerian Army and the Plateau State Police Command. We have been advised to remain calm.”
Meanwhile, the Gan Allah Fulani Development Association (GAFDAN), through its Plateau chairman, Garba Abdullahi, condemned the killings in the strongest terms. Abdullahi called on security agencies to investigate the attacks thoroughly and prosecute those responsible without fear or favour.
“The ongoing silence and lack of decisive action only emboldens the perpetrators. Justice must be served,” he stated.
However, amid the spiraling violence, accusations and counter-accusations continue to fuel a bitter divide.
Farmasum Fuddang, Chairman of the Bokkos Cultural Development Council (BCDC), cast doubt on the reports of herders being killed in Mushere. He alleged the claims might be an attempt to deflect blame from previous atrocities committed against farming communities.
“If any such incident truly occurred, they should channel it through appropriate security bodies,” Fuddang asserted. “These claims appear to be a smoke screen to cover up their past offenses against our people.”
Plateau State, a flashpoint of ethno-religious and resource-based tensions, has for years been embroiled in bloody clashes between farmers and herders—driven by competition over dwindling land and grazing resources, compounded by deep-rooted mistrust and impunity.
While Plateau simmers, neighbouring Benue State has also been scarred by terror. On May 26, 2025, suspected armed herdsmen ambushed and opened fire on a vehicle conveying Rev. Fr. Solomon Atongu, a Catholic priest serving at St. John Quasi Parish in Jimba.
The brutal attack occurred along the Makurdi–Naka Road, a notorious axis for highway abductions. Two other passengers were abducted during the incident, while the priest, bleeding profusely from gunshot wounds, was left for dead.
Miraculously, swift intervention by security operatives led to the rescue of Rev. Fr. Atongu, who was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital. His condition remains critical but stable.
In a letter issued by the Chancellor of the Diocese, Rev. Fr. Shima Ukpanya, and signed on behalf of Most Rev. Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, a solemn call for prayers was issued.
“I write on behalf of the Bishop to inform you and request your prayers for the quick recovery of one of our priests, Rev. Fr. Solomon Atongu, who was attacked and shot this evening around Tyolaha,” the letter read. “Let us unite in prayer for God’s healing upon him as the medical team works to stabilize him. May our Lady, Mother of Perpetual Help, intercede for us.”
With blood continuing to spill in Plateau and Benue, civil society groups and community leaders are urging the federal government to break its silence and initiate a decisive, impartial response to the crisis—one that prioritizes justice, disarmament, and healing.
Until then, the cycle of violence, reprisal, and recrimination threatens to plunge the region deeper into chaos.
PIONEER NEWS 