A Fulani community leader who has lived in Hurti, a village in the Manguna District of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State for more than three decades, has revealed that the attackers who recently invaded the community and killed 46 Christian residents were members of his own Fulani tribe. The elder, who is known and respected in the community, made the revelation in a video shared by journalist Masara Kim Usman on Tuesday.
The shocking confession has stirred strong reactions across Plateau State and beyond, especially because the elder is well known as a peaceful man who has lived among the people of Hurti for 32 years. Despite being a Fulani Muslim, the residents of the mainly Christian community had long accepted him as one of their own. Many described him as a neighbour who attended community events, helped settle disputes, and supported families during difficult times.
In the video, the elder confirmed that the armed men who stormed the community spoke fluent Fulani and even used his own local dialect. According to him, this left no doubt that they were his tribesmen. He said he tried to stop them when he realised what was happening.
“I heard them speaking fluent Fulani language,” he said. “I approached them and spoke to them in the same language. I asked why they wanted to kill the people, but they said nothing would stop them.”
He explained that many women and children ran to him, crying for help, hoping that because he was Fulani, he would be able to protect them from the attackers. He said he wished he had the power to do so, but the armed men refused to listen to him and even threatened to kill him if he stood in their way.
“The bandits pushed me aside,” he said. “They told me to move or they would kill me too. I have been living with these people for so many years. They are my family. But these attackers did not care.”
The elder said that after they threatened him, he stepped aside for his own safety. He later watched the attack from the hills as the gunmen set houses ablaze and opened fire across the village. According to him, the shooting went on for a long time, and the attackers moved from house to house.
The Fulani elder said what hurt him most was the fact that the attackers were his own people. He had hoped that by speaking to them in their language and reminding them of the peaceful life he lived with the community, they would stop. Instead, they ignored him and continued their violent mission.
“What pains me is that they were my tribesmen,” he said. “These people of Hurti have become like my family. I have lived with them for so many years. Yet my own people refused to listen when I begged them to spare the innocent.”
He added that none of the Fulani or Muslim residents of the community were harmed during the attack, a detail that has raised further questions about the motivation behind the violence.
The Plateau massacre is part of a long-running cycle of violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region, where communities often clash over land, grazing routes, political control, and ethnic identity. However, the killings in Bokkos once again highlight another pattern: Christian communities being targeted while Muslim or Fulani residents are spared.
For years, communities in Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, and Southern Kaduna have accused armed Fulani groups of launching attacks that appear to have religious or ethnic motivations. These attacks are different from the insurgency in the Northeast carried out by Boko Haram, and also different from the banditry in the Northwest. While bandits in states like Zamfara and Katsina mostly target victims at random with the aim of collecting ransom, many attacks in the Middle Belt appear aimed at displacing Christian farming communities from their ancestral lands.
Human rights groups have repeatedly warned that these targeted attacks could deepen mistrust between ethnic and religious groups in the region. In Bokkos alone, dozens of villages have been attacked in the past three years, leading to displacement, destruction of homes, and the loss of farmland.
Residents of Hurti say they are still trying to come to terms with the scale of the violence. The attack left 46 people dead, including women and children. Many houses were burnt down, forcing surviving families to take shelter in nearby communities or in makeshift camps.
A community leader who spoke off-camera said, “It is painful that our father who has lived with us for so long witnessed this. He is a good man. He tried to stop them, but they refused. We do not blame him. We know he did his best.”
Another resident said that the elder’s testimony confirms what many locals have been saying for years. “We have always said those attacking us speak Fulani,” he said. “But some people try to deny it or say it is farmers and herders clashing. This is not a clash. This is an attack on innocent people.”
As of the time of this report, officials in Plateau State have condemned the killings but have not issued a detailed statement about the elder’s claims. Security agencies have been deployed to the area, though many residents say the response often comes after the attackers have already left.
The killings in Hurti add to growing pressure on both the state and federal governments to address insecurity in the Middle Belt. Many communities say they live in constant fear, and repeated attacks, especially those that go unpunished, make it difficult for displaced families to return home or rebuild.
Despite the tragedy, the Fulani elder says he still believes in peace. He said he hopes the government and community leaders will work together to stop the killings and prevent further divisions between Fulani herders and farming communities.
“If I had the power to rescue them, I would have done so,” he said. “I will continue to pray for peace. These people are my family.”
The Hurti attack is another reminder of the deep challenges facing Plateau State and Nigeria as a whole..
