Plateau State has unfortunately become synonymous with a tumultuous history marked by crises, bloodshed, and violence. The distressing timeline began in 1994, experienced a brief hiatus, only to be marred by a major upheaval on September 7, 2001. Since then, the state has grappled with persistent conflicts, resulting in unimaginable destruction of lives and properties.
The severity of the situation led to the imposition of the first-ever state of emergency in Plateau State during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration in 2004. In response, the federal government established a special military task force, initially named the Special Task Force (STF), to address the security challenges in Plateau State. Shockingly, the state witnessed one of its darkest moments—the Dogo-Na Hawa massacre of 2010—even with the presence of this federal military task force. The nomenclature of the special task force was later changed to Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), presumably to enhance its effectiveness. However, under the command of a Major General, the military task force has struggled to effectively manage conflicts or de-escalate violence, with killings persisting in the state under its watch.
Over the past two decades, all three senatorial zones in Plateau State have experienced violent attacks and killings. The violence originated in Jos, the state capital, in 2001, later shifting to Plateau south senatorial zone, particularly in Wase, Langtang North, Langtang South, and Shendam. The battleground then moved to Plateau north senatorial zone in 2010, with a decade-long conflict between the Berom and Fulani communities. By 2019, the focus shifted within Plateau north senatorial zone from Berom communities to Irigwe communities. In Bassa LGA, the battle ensued between Irigwe and Fulani herders. In 2024, the battleground has now shifted to Plateau central senatorial zone, witnessing a clash between Fulani and Mwaghavul ethnic nationalities. Throughout these stages of violent attacks since 2001, various factors have been cited as the root causes of the conflicts. Initially, it was either ethno-religious or purely religious crises within the first decade. However, in subsequent years, the causes evolved into farmer-herder clashes, reflecting the changing dynamics of Plateau State’s turbulent history.
The prevailing insecurity in Mangu, Bokkos, and Barkin Ladi local governments within Plateau central escalated to a national concern in the first quarter of 2013, following the 2023 presidential and governorship elections. Surprisingly, Mangu, which had been absent from the violence trajectory in the state, suddenly experienced external aggression from “unknown gunmen.” The outcome of the 2023 governorship election in Plateau State reflected the voters’ decision to return power to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), with the incumbent governor hailing from Mangu LGA. While it might be challenging to directly link the insecurity in Mangu to the state’s political landscape, given the peaceful general elections in February and March 2023, the emergence of violence and killings in the governor’s hometown raised perplexing questions.
The unscheduled visit of Plateau State Governor Barr Caleb Mutfwang to the Chief of Defense Staff, Major General Christopher Musa, and the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, in Abuja underscores the gravity of the security situation in Plateau State. The visit also suggests the governor’s acknowledgment of the challenges in providing a swift resolution to the inherited crisis since assuming office on May 29th. As of July 7, 2023, the reported death toll from gunmen attacks stood at 204. Shockingly, in less than a week, the death toll surged to 346, with over 20,000 survivors displaced and seeking refuge in camps. The number of IDP camps has reached 14, according to a human rights organisation, Gideon and Funmi Para-Mallam Peace Foundation. The organisation’s Founder and Executive Director, Rev. Dr. Gideon Para-Mallam, revealed that between April 17 and July 10, 2023, the killings had resulted in approximately 18,751 internally displaced persons across 8 LGAs in Plateau State. The dire humanitarian situation underscores the urgent need for effective measures to address the escalating violence and protect the lives and well-being of Plateau State residents.
Providing a detailed breakdown of the casualty figures, Para-Mallam, a peace advocate, revealed that the tragic events unfolded with 17 people killed in Bokkos, 234 in Mangu, 39 in Barkin Ladi, 36 in Riyom, 5 in Jos North, 9 in Jos South, 5 in Mikang, and 1 in Bassa. He further outlined that 14 IDP camps are managed by the Church of Christ in the Nation’s Local Church Councils. The distribution of IDPs includes 2,081 widows and 6,066 orphans aged 0-5 years old. Additionally, 1,057 elderly persons, 828 teenagers, and adult orphans contribute to the total of 6,603 affected households grappling with the aftermath of these deadly attacks. These distressing scenarios in Plateau State prompted the governor to seek assistance from the Chief of Defense Staff and Chief of Army Staff in Abuja. The gravity of the humanitarian crisis also compelled the governor to engage with the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and the Office of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). The ongoing humanitarian crisis is exacerbated as long as the gunmen responsible for the killings are allowed to persist.
Despite the security agencies yet to disclose their findings on the root cause of the renewed violence in Plateau, various stakeholders have attempted to offer their perspectives on the insecurity. The state chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Nuru Abdullahi, informed The Nation that, “from my research, the whole problem started from a case of two individuals fighting. A Fulani man and a Mwaghavul man had a confrontation in a village called Maitumbi. The initial altercation resulted in injuries to both parties. After a few days, the same individuals resumed their conflict, and with interventions from others, the situation escalated into ethnic rivalry following a fatality in the fracas.”
In contrast, the National President of Mwaghavul Development Association (MDA), Joseph Gwankat, alleged that the killings are solely attributable to a Fulani expansionist agenda. He asserted, “The Fulani have been hiring external forces to kill our people with the aim of eradicating our communities to turn them into their grazing fields.”
Despite the claims and counter-claims from these socio-cultural organisations, the alarming reality is that lives are being lost, properties are being destroyed, and vulnerable children and women are enduring hardship in IDP camps. Comrade Steve Aluko, the director of Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), emphasised, “There is no civil liberty in Plateau State anymore due to the activities of gunmen across the local governments. Armed men are present in the bushes and forests, and the government seems incapable of clearing these areas of gunmen, whether termed bandits or by any other name. Additionally, ethnic militancy is on the rise in every community nationwide due to the government’s failure in its primary responsibility of protecting citizens. Consequently, ethnic militias are emerging everywhere to defend themselves. This is a perilous situation that must be addressed promptly.
“The federal government is the only one with necessary equipment to end the activities of bandits in this country, it is only the federal government that has the instruments of justice system to deal with criminals behind the killings across the country and enforce equity and fairness. It is only the federal government that has the power and resources to return people back to their ancestral lands after their displacement by the gunmen. Enough of government creating camps for displaced citizens everywhere. It is only the federal government that has all the instruments of government to enforce law and order, and until the federal government do that, we will continued to witness this unfortunate situations.
“It is sad that since 2001, a lot of families were displaced from their ancestral lands and government has done nothing to return them, and you expect a peaceful society. The same federal government has identified these killers as foreign aggressors or foreign mercenaries, yet the same government did not know how to deal with the external aggressors. You realized that if the aggressors become the victims, these killings will stop automatically, but it all appear the federal government has been romancing the foreign aggressors,” said Aluko.
Scholar of peace and conflict, Dr. Chris Kwaja, who echoed Aluko’s sentiments, stated, “Killings persist in Plateau because of the ineffective justice system in Nigerian society. When criminals involved in killings are neither arrested nor punished, it indirectly empowers them. Lack of justice for conflict victims creates an environment for self-help in the form of retaliation. Criminals become emboldened, knowing they can commit crimes and escape without consequences. In such a society, criminality continues unabated. The killings in Plateau and elsewhere in Nigeria are acts of criminality, and the criminals are aware that our justice system is porous or too weak to deter them. Consequently, they operate with impunity.”
Dr. Kwaja further noted, “Plateau State governors cannot be blamed for the ongoing killings because, under the current federal system, they lack authority over government security agencies like the police and the military. Governors, including Gov. Mutfwang of Plateau and the governor of Zamfara state, have had to seek help from the defense headquarters in Abuja. If these governors had their own police forces, they wouldn’t have to go begging for help in Abuja.”
However, there seems to be a more effective approach to insecurity under the federal government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The swift response to the Mangu attacks by federal security chiefs is unprecedented. The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun has established a special security task force in Plateau state, specifically located in the troubled zone. During the recent visit of the Chief of Army Staff to Mangu, additional troops were deployed to the area. Within the last 24 hours, military troops reportedly responded promptly to distress calls, eliminating about 30 gunmen attempting to attack residents along Gindiri road in Mangu.
