THE WEEK: Fulani Militia Defy Curfew to Attack Christian Communities in Plateau State

18 Killed, 9 Wounded in Plateau, as 87 Abducted in Western states

By Ezinwanne Onwuka 

Attacks that began over the weekend in Nigeria’s north-central Plateau State, prompted the state government to impose a dusk-to-dawn curfew, but to little avail, as attacks continued. Gunmen repeatedly slipped through the security net — attacking vehicles, villages, civilian guards and even security personnel responding to distress calls.

Attacks Continue Hours After Curfew Begins

Governor Caleb Mutfwang imposed a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew Monday, Sept. 21, on Barkin Ladi, Bokkos and Mangu counties. The governor also banned motorcycles in the three local government areas (counties).

Officials said the restrictions were intended to give security forces room to stabilize the communities and prevent further attacks. But within hours, gunfire was breaking the curfew’s first night.

In Rakwok village, Barkin Lad on Sept. 21, a commercial vehicle came under attack around 8:45 p.m. Two passengers, 65-year-old Ali Makawu and 42-year-old Hannatu Samson, were shot. The attackers were gone before troops arrived. A man identified as Henry was later found dead inside a nearby building. Preliminary findings indicated he may have been struck by a stray bullet. 

Elsewhere, a civilian watchman was killed shortly after 8 p.m. while standing guard outside his home. In Bokkos, about 40 miles away, two residents of Kangyer village were also killed in a separate attack later that night. 

The curfew had been in force for only a few hours.

Police Officer, 3 Guards Killed in Tuesday Attacks

At daybreak Tuesday, Sept. 22, residents of Rakwok gathered to bury victims of the previous night’s attack when Fulani militia fighters returned, firing sporadically into the community.

Dalyop Solomon, a Berom youth leader, was trapped in the village as the shooting erupted.

“As you can see we are here at Rakwok where a young man was killed last night. And shortly after the burial, the terrorists just came back, almost encircling the community. As you can hear there are gunshots in my background,” he said in a selfie video recorded from the scene.

At about 4 p.m. Tuesday, security personnel responding to the Rakwok attack were ambushed along Gagshi Road between Barkin Ladi and Bokkos.

Chief Superintendent of Police Dennis David Babale, deputy commander of a combined police-military taskforce, was shot and killed. 

Dalyop later told TruthNigeria that five others, including a 1-year-old child, were wounded in the ambush.

Around 8:25 p.m. Tuesday, Fulani militia killed three men from Kikyau village in Mangu County. Zagazola Makama identified the victims as Gambo Fumyil, Zugumna Bamaiyi and Samson Dapo.

Kyesmang Jonathan Yusuf, president of the Mwaghavul Youth Movement, said the three were civilian guards killed as they arrived at their duty post for a routine night watch.

Yusuf questioned the effectiveness of the curfew, saying, “If law-abiding citizens are confined to their homes from 6:00 p.m., while armed Fulani criminals continue to move, attack and kill with impunity during the same period, who is the curfew ultimately protecting?”

“Communities that have historically relied on organized vigilance to protect their homes, farms and families are now being restricted from movement, while the perpetrators of violence appear not to be deterred by the restriction.”

Five Killed in Thursday Night Attacks

On Thursday night, Sept. 24, Fulani ethnic militia attacked Christian communities about 15 to 20 miles south of Jos.

In Chit and Gassa in Barkin Ladi, they targeted civilian watch posts. The guards at Chit fought back with homemade pipe guns, firing from behind trees and brick walls to make their small force appear larger.

In Gassa, the civilian guards were overwhelmed. Three guards — Ishaya Pam Dung, 47, Barnabas Gyang Jack, 23, and Manasseh Luka Mushwer, 26 — were killed. Dung headed the village’s civilian watch team.

Witnesses told TruthNigeria that the attackers approached from three directions and kept the civilian guards under fire for more than 30 minutes. The attackers were estimated at about 30 men on motorcycles. 

Shortly after 10 p.m., two more people were killed in separate attacks in Rubung and Federe villages near the Barkin Ladi–Jos East boundary. Jerry Datim, a local town leader, told TruthNigeria that the victims were killed in their homes by attackers armed with assault rifles.

Two Wounded, Five Killed in Weekend Assaults

At about 2:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 25, Nigerian troops repelled an attack on Latok village in Shendam County. Two youths were wounded, two houses burned and cattle stolen. Soldiers, supported by local volunteer guards, forced the attackers to withdraw.

Later on Friday morning, another attack was repelled in Gyamgyam village, Wase County. No casualties were reported.

On Saturday morning, attackers struck miners in Lajam, part of the Marit cluster of villages in Barkin Ladi County. TruthNigeria reported that five people were killed, including a newly enlisted Nigerian soldier who had returned home to visit his family. 

TruthNigeria Security Alerts: Predictive

All of the attacks by men on motorcycles had been predicted by TruthNigeria Security Alerts. 

On Tuesday, Sept. 22, TruthNigeria warned that hundreds of armed Fulani ethnic militia fighters had assembled south of Jos and were preparing coordinated, large-scale attacks in Barkin Ladi, Mangu, Riyom and Bukuru Market in Jos. 

A follow-up intelligence alert identified two locations in Barkin Ladi — near NTV village and an abandoned primary school — where armed fighters were gathering. Christian communities including Rakwok, Maijankai, Manjahota and Kassa were identified as targeted.

On Thursday, Sept. 24, TruthNigeria reported intelligence that armed Fulani militias had laid ambushes around Nghar in Gashish District ahead of the burial of two people killed the previous night.

On Friday, Sept. 25, TruthNigeria issued an alert warning that a large armed group had gathered in remote hills about 35 miles southwest of Jos, near routes connecting several Christian communities in Barkin Ladi and neighboring Riyom.

On Saturday, Sept. 26, a terror alert said armed Fulani militia were mobilizing in large numbers from bases in the hills about 35 miles southeast of Jos, advancing from behind Wereh in Barkin Ladi County. The intelligence warned they were preparing coordinated mass attacks on vulnerable communities along the Barkin Ladi-Mangu County border.

Mass Kidnappings Hit Niger and Zamfara States

As the attacks continued in Plateau, separate weekend raids in northern Nigeria left at least 87 people — mostly women and farmers — abducted in Niger and Zamfara states.

In Niger State’s Mariga Local Government Area on Saturday, at least 47 farmers, chiefly women harvesting peanuts in Rimi, were abducted by motorcycle-riding gunmen.

The following day, Sept. 27, 40 women were abducted from Yargada, a rural community in Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

According to NTA, details of the Zamfara abduction emerged from an internal security report prepared for the United Nations and reviewed by international wire services.

Nigerian authorities had not publicly confirmed either abduction by the time of publication.

Abducted Council Chairman Regains Freedom

Security forces logged a win against a criminal gang in Zamfara State, however. Nura Abdullahi, chairman of Bungudu Local Government Area in northwestern Zamfara State, regained his freedom Thursday, Sept. 24, after 61 days in captivity.

Armed men abducted Abdullahi from his residence on July 25. Four members of his security detail — two police officers and two local vigilantes — were killed during the attack.

Lt. Col. Aliyu Danja, commander of a joint task force, said Abdullahi and four other captives escaped during an intelligence-led military operation targeting a suspected terrorist location near Kaura Namoda.

Ezinwanne Onwuka is a conflict reporter for TruthNigeria. 

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