In Plateau State in northern Nigeria, armed individuals launched attacks in the early hours of Monday, resulting in the deaths of at least 51 people. This attack occurred just two weeks after clashes in another part of the state led to the deaths of many individuals.

Last week, the Nigeria National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) reported that at least 52 people were killed in the attacks in Plateau State, with around 2,000 people displaced. The state has long been known for violence between farmers and herders. On Monday, it was reported that 51 bodies were found in the Zikke and Kimakpa villages in the Bassa area of Plateau. Many others were also reported to have been injured in the attacks. The reason for the attack is still unclear. Local resident Joseph Chudu Yonkpa claimed that the attackers were herders, stating, “There is a mass funeral going on now. There is a lot of anger among the people.” Police officials have not made a statement regarding the incident yet. Albert Garba Samuel, a spokesperson for the Jere Nation Youths Development Association, expressed his outrage by saying, “No community should experience such trauma, bloodshed, and destruction.” Amnesty International Nigeria stated that the attackers burned and looted homes, following the killing of 52 people two weeks ago, emphasizing the need to investigate the unacceptable security lapses that led to this horrific attack.

MIDDLE BELT AT RISK

In recent years, the increasing inter-communal violence in Nigeria’s inland areas, particularly known as the Middle Belt, has become one of the country’s most serious security threats. These conflicts, mainly between Muslim herders and Christian farmers, are not confined to ethnic and religious tensions but are also deepened by environmental and economic factors such as climate change, agricultural expansion, and diminishing natural resources.