FORTY persons have been killed in another attack on the Zike community, Kimakpa, in the Kwali district of the Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State.
According to Channels TV, in the early morning of Monday, April 14, gunmen attacked the community and started shooting at residents.
Media reports said vigilantes responded to the attack and repelled the assailants, but not before 36 people were killed, with 4 more dying later.
The Plateau state police command has yet to confirm the incident.
Plateau State in Nigeria is experiencing recurring violent attacks, with a recent incident following the killing of 52 people in the Bokkos Local Government Area. The ongoing violence has resulted in significant loss of life, destruction of property, and erosion of trust in governance, demanding urgent national attention.
The ICIR reported that President Bola Tinubu has vowed that those behind the gruesome attacks on several communities in Plateau state will be apprehended and made to face the full weight of the law.
Reacting to the spate of killings in the Bokkos Local Government Area, the president, in a statement on Saturday, April 5, described the violence as “unacceptable” and directed security agencies to hunt down the perpetrators.
The statement, which was released by Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the president, Bayo Onanuga, extended his condolences to the families of victims in Ruwi, Hurti, Tadai, Manguna, and Dafo communities, where dozens were killed and homes destroyed.
The renewed violence, which began on March 28, 2025, escalated with a series of coordinated attacks on villages across Bokkos LGA.
The ICIR reported that the death toll, which rose from 40 additional bodies to 52 on Wednesday and Thursday, left communities in mourning and further exposed the vulnerability of rural populations to violent attacks.
According to the Bokkos Cultural Development Council (BCDC) Vanguard, 31 victims were buried in a mass grave, including five children burned beyond recognition in the village.
Other victims were killed in the villages of Ruwi, Manguna, and Daffo.
Reacting to this, Tinubu commiserated with Governor Caleb Mutfwang and the people of Plateau State, assuring them of his support in ending the spate of ‘wanton bloodletting on the Plateau.’
He further directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to work closely with state authorities to bring immediate relief to survivors and help rebuild affected communities.
Recall that on Wednesday, April 2 alone, over 10 people were reportedly killed when gunmen stormed several communities, burning homes, injuring dozens, and leaving many still unaccounted for.
This was according to the initial comment by the Bokkos Cultural Development Council (BCDC) Vanguard.
The affected communities include Mongor, Daffo, Manguna, Hurti, and Tadai.
These attacks came just six days after gunmen killed 10 others during a wake in the Ruwi community, bringing the weekly death toll to 20.
However, local leaders and rescue teams have said the actual number has now hit 52.
Speaking to journalists after the Wednesday attack, the chairman of the Bokkos Cultural Development Council (BCDC), Farmasum Fuddang, said more than 50 villages in Bokkos have been attacked in the past six months.
Meanwhile, Tinubu has ordered security agencies to fish out the masterminds of the cycle of killings in Plateau State.
Tinubu reaffirmed his government’s strong resolve to stop violent crimes and all forms of criminality everywhere in Nigeria.
A reporter with the ICIR
A Journalist with a niche for quality and a promoter of good governance