Deadly midnight raid kills 40 in Plateau village

At least 40 residents were killed in the early hours of Monday, April 14, when armed attackers invaded Zike, a farming settlement in the Kwall district of Plateau State’s Bassa Local Government Area. The assailants, arriving under the cover of darkness, opened fire on sleeping villagers, torching homes and leaving a trail of destruction.

The assault lasted for nearly two hours, according to community accounts. Despite prior warnings from locals about potential threats, no immediate action was taken by security forces. Help only arrived after the attack had ended.

Joseph Chudu Yonkpa, spokesperson for the Irigwe Youth Movement (IYM), told HumAngle that several injured survivors were taken to the Jos University Teaching Hospital and nearby clinics.

“There is outrage in the land at the moment,” Yonkpa said. “The security people only showed up this morning.”

Community leader Wakili Tongwe, who spoke to Channels Television, said he had been on patrol with local vigilantes in a neighbouring area when the shooting began. By the time they and some security agents responded, the attackers had already killed dozens.

Initial counts placed the death toll at 36, but four more victims later died from injuries. Others are receiving medical attention for gunshot wounds.

Zike is located roughly an hour from Jos, the Plateau State capital. Though relatively remote, the village is not unfamiliar with violence. In recent weeks, Bassa LGA has witnessed a surge in similar night-time raids. Residents say they often follow a recognizable pattern: attackers strike when villagers are most vulnerable—at night or during planting and harvest seasons.

For years, the Irigwe people have blamed armed herders for the violence, accusing them of attempting to displace local populations and claim resource-rich lands.

Cycle of Violence

According to HumAngle, IYM records document over 2,800 attacks, more than 1,100 deaths, and the destruction of tens of thousands of farmlands in the Irigwe area since 2001. The group believes this is not random violence but a calculated campaign to erase their presence from the region.

Governor Caleb Mutfwang has publicly condemned the killings, labelling them genocidal and calling for urgent action.

“These are not revenge attacks,” Mutfwang said during a recent TV interview. “I believe we’re facing a deliberate effort to uproot indigenous communities.”

He added that over 60 villages across Plateau have been taken over by armed groups, with original residents pushed out and their lands seized.

“Some of these communities have even been renamed,” the governor said. “People now live on land they forcefully occupied.”

The attack on Zike comes just weeks after over 50 people were killed in Bokkos, another part of Plateau. It adds to a long list of atrocities that have plagued the state over the past two decades.

The federal government has responded with promises of tougher action with the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, ordering the deployment of additional tactical units to Plateau. The pledges have not stemmed the violence.