In a scathing revelation that has sparked national outrage, the Plateau State Government has accused the Nigerian Army of failing to arrest or neutralise the perpetrators of a brutal massacre that left 27 innocent farmers dead in the Tahoss community of Riyom Local Government Area, despite reportedly “engaging” the killers just metres away from a military checkpoint.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday, the State Commissioner for Information, Hon. Joyce Ramnap, expressed deep disappointment over what she described as the military’s indecisive and disturbing inaction.
“The military checkpoint is just about 200 metres away from where this bloodbath occurred,” Ramnap said, her voice laced with frustration. “According to their report, they made contact with the assailants but didn’t arrest, engage, or neutralise even one. That is unacceptable.”
Ramnap noted that the attack happened near an access road under military surveillance, a detail that raises serious concerns about the credibility of the region’s security architecture. She questioned how such a calculated and prolonged attack could unfold so close to armed personnel without immediate and forceful intervention.
> “It’s not a remote or hidden village,” she stressed. “If you made contact with the killers, how did they vanish without a trace? Where are the pursuit measures? Where are the arrests?”
The commissioner clarified that the government is not accusing the entire military of collusion but insisted that a thorough investigation must be launched to identify any security lapses or complicity.
“Like Governor Caleb Mutfwang rightly stated, we know there are gallant and patriotic soldiers working hard for peace, but we also acknowledge the presence of bad eggs within the system who may be undermining those efforts.”
She added that the attackers struck from three different directions, with the worst carnage occurring on the side closest to the church where victims had sought refuge. “Those who fled to the church were mercilessly hunted,” she lamented. “Even the pastor had to flee. He survived, but six people were slaughtered right inside his home.”
Ramnap condemned the killings as barbaric, unprovoked, and genocidal, echoing Governor Mutfwang’s stance during his visit to the devastated community on Wednesday. She described the attackers as bloodthirsty marauders who not only take lives but also burn farms and destroy livelihoods, deliberately sowing fear and starvation in their wake.
This latest tragedy adds to a long list of violent atrocities plaguing Plateau State. Just in April 2025, over 100 people were massacred in coordinated night raids across Bokkos and Bassa LGAs, an attack that drew national and international condemnation. That came barely four months after the horror of Christmas Eve 2023, when about 150 villagers were butchered in cold blood in Bokkos.
As outrage mounts, pressure is growing on federal authorities and the military high command to investigate the incident thoroughly, hold responsible officers accountable, and restore public trust in the armed forces’ ability to protect civilian lives.
“This cannot become the new normal,” Ramnap warned. “Our people deserve to live in peace. The Plateau cannot continue to be a killing field.”
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