GOVERNOR Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State first promised during his swearing into office on May 29, 2023, to tackle insecurity that had plagued the state since 2001.
However, the ‘Home of Peace and Tourism’ continued to witness mass killing and destruction as the violence spilled into rural areas of the state to this day.
Mutfwang, who had described the previous administration as a failure during his campaign speeches, emphasised the need for a new era of accountable and people-centred leadership in Plateau State.
“We cannot afford to trade off the destiny of our great people of Plateau State due to meaningless personal squabbles and disagreements. The APC led government has failed disastrously in the most basic responsibility of protecting its citizens and their properties,” he said in one of his speeches.
Vowing to restore the glory of Plateau State, Mutfwang declared, “The time for the deliverance of our people is now”—a phrase that has since become a defining slogan of his administration.
Two years after assuming office
Although attacks had continued since Mutfwang assumed office, a series of attack staBillrted on December 23 and continued through to Christmas day, 2023. Over 96 people were reportedly killed in several communities in the Barkin-Ladi and Bokkos lLocal Government Areas (LGAs).
The Police confirmed that 221 houses were set ablaze across 12 villages, farm produce were looted, while many residents were also injured. Other reports revealed at least 140 people dead.
Not long after terrorist issued fresh threats on December 29 via a letter, to residents of Pushit community in Mangu LGA, a neighbouring LGA with Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi, the government imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on January 23, 2024.
At least 30 people were reported to have died, and several others injured in a series of attacks Mangu town, despite the curfew imposed.
According to Amnesty International, from December 2023 to February 2024, at least 1,336 people were killed. Of those killed, 533 were women, 263 were children, and 540 were men.
More than 18,000 people were displaced from the three LGAs within the period.
The ICIR reported in June 2024 that despite insecurity plaguing Plateau, the state government appropriated N3.5 billion naira for lawmakers refreshments.
In October 2024, Bokkos witnessed more than ten devastating attacks in atleast eight of its communities.
The targeted communities where the inhabitants are mostly farmers struggling to rebuild their lives after the incessant attacks on them by gunmen suspected to be bandits and terrorists.
Again in March 2025, Bokkos was plunged into another crisis with the death toll rising after the recovery of 40 additional bodies to 52, on 6 and 7.
President Bola Tinubu vowed that those behind the gruesome attacks will be apprehended and made to face the full weight of the law, even though data is scarce on the number of assailants arrested who have continued to commit these atrocities in Plateau State.
Tinubu described the violence as “unacceptable” and directed security agencies to hunt down the perpetrators.
However, Muftwang described the recent wave of violence in the rural communities as a genocidal attack, alleging that the assault on the region is sponsored and deliberate. He decried that bandits have taken over 64 communities in his state, insisting that the violence was not retaliatory but rather part of a deliberate campaign to uproot indigenous communities.
The governor expressed outrage over the continued killings and attributed the attacks to unidentified terrorist groups.
Not long after Bokkos attack, over 40 people were killed in a midnight attack on Zike community in Bassa, on March 14. Mutfwang urged citizens to be vigilant and defend themselves against recurring attacks by criminal elements.
In a reaction to the attack in Bassa, Tinubu condemned the violence in Plateau State, urging the governor to find a lasting solution to persistent communal conflicts.
“We cannot allow this devastation and the tit-for-tat attacks to continue. Enough is enough. Beyond dealing with the criminal elements of these incessant killings, the political leadership in Plateau State, led by Governor Caleb Mutfwang, must address the root cause of this age-long problem,’ Tinubu said.
Plateau State was hitherto known for its harmonious communal relations, hillsides, spectacular waterfalls, high altitude, and a temperate climate that has long attracted foreign visitors. However, violence broke out in September 2001, following a political disagreement that led to the killing of at least 1,000 people, leaving approximately 220,000 displaced persons in less than one week.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues.