President Bola Tinubu has ordered a military offensive and directed an urgent investigation following a brutal overnight attack that left at least 51 people dead in the Zikke and Kakpa communities of Bassa Local Government Area, Plateau State. The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Monday, is the latest in a string of deadly assaults that have plagued Nigeria’s Middle Belt, intensifying national concern over rising insecurity.
According to eyewitness reports, the attackers stormed the villages at midnight, opening fire on residents and setting homes ablaze. The bloodshed comes just two weeks after similar coordinated attacks killed 52 people and displaced nearly 2,000 others across Plateau State. Monday’s killings have further raised questions about the effectiveness of existing security measures in the region.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu condemned the massacre and expressed his condolences to Governor Caleb Mutfwang and the people of Plateau. The President stressed the need for a firm response to what he described as recurring, unacceptable violence rooted in longstanding communal, ethnic, and religious tensions.
“We cannot allow this devastation and tit-for-tat attacks to continue. Enough is enough,” Tinubu declared.
He urged Governor Mutfwang to confront the root causes of the conflict with political courage and community engagement. The President emphasized that beyond targeting criminal elements, the government must prioritize sustainable peace through dialogue, inclusivity, and social cohesion.
“These problems have been with us for more than two decades. We can no longer ignore the underlying issues,” he said. “I have discussed these problems with the governor and offered suggestions for lasting peace.”
The federal government, Tinubu added, will continue to support Plateau State’s leadership in addressing the security crisis through community dialogue and efforts to heal ethno-religious divisions.
Meanwhile, community youth leader Joseph Chudu confirmed that the attack began around midnight and lasted over an hour. He disclosed that scores of the wounded have been taken to the Jos University Teaching Hospital for urgent medical care, many of them in need of blood transfusions. Amnesty International Nigeria also condemned the attack, criticizing the security lapses that allowed such carnage to unfold again so soon after the last incident.
As attacks continue to destabilize Plateau’s rural communities, the Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM) called on the federal government to officially designate Fulani militants as a terrorist group. In a statement signed by National President Solomon Mwantiri and General Secretary Bature Adazaram, the group described the killings as “systemic and premeditated,” citing recent video evidence purportedly showing the assailants vowing to make the state ungovernable.
“The genocide meted out on villages of Hurti and Bokkos LGA and now in Bassa confirms a broader agenda of terror,” the group stated, adding a call for legislation that would permit Nigerians to bear arms in self-defence.
In a glimmer of positive news amidst the tragedy, the Nigerian Army’s 3 Division and Operation Safe Haven troops successfully rescued 16 kidnapped passengers late Sunday night. The operation followed the discovery of an abandoned vehicle along the Jos-Mangu road in Mararaban Kantoma, Mangu LGA. According to Major Samson Zhakom, spokesperson for Operation Safe Haven, troops engaged the kidnappers in a gunfight, forcing them to flee and abandon their victims—six of whom were children.
The rescued passengers were given first aid and escorted to safety. Security forces are currently pursuing the fleeing suspects, who are believed to have sustained gunshot wounds during the exchange.
Plateau State, part of Nigeria’s volatile Middle Belt, remains a flashpoint for ethno-religious violence. While often framed as clashes between Muslim herders and Christian farmers, experts point to deeper issues such as climate change, resource scarcity, and land competition exacerbating the violence. Monday’s attack highlights the urgent need for comprehensive national security reform, effective conflict resolution mechanisms, and local community empowerment to stem the tide of bloodshed.
With President Tinubu’s renewed directive for security escalation and community-based intervention, it remains to be seen whether a permanent end to the cycle of violence is finally within reach.