Unidentified assailants have killed almost 50 people in Plateau state, Nigeria, according to a Red Cross source on Monday, marking the latest incident of violence in a region characterised by a mix of religions and a history of intercommunal strife and lethal land conflicts.
The attack on the villages of Zike and Kimakpa occurred on Sunday night in the Bassa local government area, just under two weeks after armed groups targeted various villages in the Bokkos area, also within Plateau state, resulting in 48 deaths.
“I can confirm to you that 47 persons have died, 22 others were injured and taken to hospital, five houses were burnt down,” the Red Cross official told AFP.
Land conflicts, typically between Muslim Fulani herders and predominantly Christian farmers, are often prone to escalate into deadly confrontations in Plateau, particularly in rural regions where law enforcement is ineffective and impunity is common.
Despite millions of Nigerians from different ethnic backgrounds coexisting peacefully, Plateau State frequently sees surges in intercommunal violence. Researchers highlight that the factors leading to conflict in Plateau are usually complex.
As Nigeria continues to grow as Africa’s most populous nation, so does the amount of land utilised by farmers, while grazing trails have been strained due to climate change.
Additionally, issues of land encroachment and political as well as economic friction between local “indigenes” and those perceived as outsiders, coupled with the rise of extreme religious leaders from both the Muslim and Christian communities, have exacerbated divisions in recent decades.
When violence erupts, inadequate policing almost ensures retaliatory attacks, according to experts.
Last week, military personnel found the decapitated body of a 16-year-old Fulani herder who had been missing in the Bassa area, along with the theft of his cattle.
Following the earlier killings in Bokkos this month, a local official informed the press that the violence stemmed from “ethnic and religious cleansing” by assailants “speaking the Fulani dialect.”
A local herder group condemned these statements, asserting that the Fulfulde language, its proper name, is widely spoken throughout the country, including by “criminals.”
The Plateau state government denounced the latest killings “in the strongest possible terms,” describing them as “unprovoked.”
The state’s commissioner for information and communication, Joyce Ramnap, stated that the “series of attacks present an existential threat to the lives and livelihoods of the peace-loving citizens of the state.”
