A wave of deadly attacks between March 28 and April 8, 2025, in Bokkos and Bassa Local Government Areas of Plateau State, Nigeria, left at least 52 people dead, displacing nearly 2,000 and intensifying fears of unchecked violence in the North-Central region.
Suspected Fulani militias struck villages like Ruwi, Mangor, Daffo, Manguna, Hurti, and Tadai in Bokkos, and Hwrra in Bassa, using automatic weapons and setting homes ablaze. The National Emergency Management Agency confirmed the toll, noting women and children accounted for 60% of victims, with a single assault on April 2 in Bokkos claiming 18 lives. In Bassa, three Irigwe men, Yakubu Mali, 48, Mangwa Ive, 40, and Ezra Riti, 51, were killed on April 7, hours after the community’s Zrrechi festival.
The attacks stem from longstanding farmer-herder conflicts over land and water, exacerbated by climate-driven scarcity—Plateau lost 10% of grazing routes since 2015, per a 2024 agriculture report. Governor Caleb Mutfwang, visiting survivors in Jos, described the violence as a “calculated bid to sabotage farming,” with 15% of the state’s farmland now abandoned.
The Nigeria Police arrested 12 suspects, recovering AK-47s, but locals accused security forces of sluggish response, pointing to a militia camp in Bakin Ladi allegedly training hundreds. The Northern Governors’ Forum, chaired by Gombe’s Inuwa Yahaya, condemned the “senseless killings,” pushing for a regional task force.
President Tinubu ordered relief, including 10,000 bags of rice and ₦200 million, but critics cite a 2024 CSW report of 250 deaths in Mangu to argue for stronger measures. As burials continue, Plateau’s 3.5 million residents brace for more unrest, with peace talks stalled since 2023.