At least 28 people have been killed in fresh attacks across parts of Plateau State despite the dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed by the state government to curb the worsening violence.
The latest incident occurred on Sunday evening at Bukuru in Jos South Local Government Area, where gunmen attacked a vehicle conveying Fulani herders, killing two people and injuring six others. One other person was also reported missing.
The Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria in Plateau State, Ibrahim Yusuf Babayo, who confirmed the attack on Monday, said the victims were returning from a cattle market and heading towards Bassa Local Government Area when they came under attack around 5:30pm.
Babayo described the incident as unprovoked and called on security agencies to identify and arrest those responsible. He said the injured victims had been taken to hospital for treatment.
The attack came less than two weeks after five Fulani herders were killed and another injured at Kassa community in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, further raising concerns over the security situation in the state.
The Plateau State Government had imposed a curfew on Barkin Ladi, Bokkos and Mangu on September 21 following a series of deadly attacks. The restriction, which runs from 6pm to 6am daily, was introduced to give security agencies greater control of the affected areas and protect residents.
The government also ordered security personnel to enforce the restriction and prohibited the use of motorcycles in the affected local government areas.
However, the killings have continued, with several attacks recorded since the curfew took effect. Communities have reported deaths, destruction of property, attacks on farmers, herders and miners, as well as cattle rustling.
On September 22, a police officer attached to Operation Rainbow was reportedly killed when gunmen ambushed security personnel along Gagshi Road. Three Berom farmers were also killed at Rakok in Barkin Ladi the same day, while three vigilantes were reportedly ambushed and killed around the Kyikyau-Gyambwas boundary in Mangu.
Two Berom miners were killed at Gangare, Barkin Ladi, on September 23, while another Fulani herder was killed the following day and cattle were reportedly rustled around Banka village in Mangu.
The violence continued on September 25 when three vigilantes, including a youth leader, were killed in Kassa. Two days later, a herding settlement in Lamor, Pushit District of Mangu, came under attack, with more than 20 cattle reportedly killed and several others injured or missing.
Three women working at a mining site in Rakum, Barkin Ladi, were also killed on September 28, while a 14-year-old Fulani herder was reportedly killed around Wereng in Riyom Local Government Area on October 1.
The latest attack before Sunday's incident was reported on October 3, when two Berom men from Heipang District, Barkin Ladi, were shot dead at a mining site around Kuru Jenta, close to the Jos South-Barkin Ladi boundary.
The persistent attacks have also disrupted farming and cattle-rearing activities, with residents saying they now avoid farms and grazing routes located far from their communities for fear of being attacked.
A farmer in Barkin Ladi, Paul David, said insecurity had made it difficult for residents to cultivate distant farmlands.
Similarly, a herder, Habibu Ibrahim, said movement with cattle had become increasingly dangerous, as herders risked attacks and cattle theft.
Another farmer from Bokkos, Christopher Rafan, said the insecurity had even affected the type of crops farmers planted, as some residents had stopped cultivating tall crops near their communities for fear that the vegetation could provide cover for attackers.
The renewed violence has further aggravated longstanding tensions involving Berom and Fulani communities, with both sides frequently accusing one another of attacks.
The conflict has been fuelled over the years by disputes over farmland and grazing routes, land ownership, criminality and the wider indigene-settler divide. Religious tensions dating back to the 2001 Jos crisis have also contributed to mistrust between communities.
A committee constituted by the Plateau State Government and headed by retired General Nicholas Rogers reportedly estimated that about 11,000 people had been killed in the state over two decades.
Despite several government interventions, peace initiatives and community dialogue programmes, violence has continued in some flashpoints.
The Executive Director of the Youth Initiative Against Violence and Human Rights Abuse, Pwakim Jacob Choji, called for greater investment in social cohesion and grassroots dialogue, saying communities needed to be more directly involved in peacebuilding.
The Director of the Civil Liberties Organisation, Steve Aluko, also advocated stronger security presence, improved intelligence gathering and effective prosecution of perpetrators.
He further called for state policing and a regional security structure capable of responding quickly to attacks in difficult terrains.
The Vice-Chancellor of Plateau State University, Bokkos, Prof. Shedrack Best, said youths should be given a more prominent role in peacebuilding efforts, arguing that many existing interventions focused mainly on traditional and religious leaders.
As residents continue to demand stronger protection, the latest killings have renewed questions over the effectiveness of the curfew and the capacity of security agencies to prevent attacks in Plateau's troubled communities.
