A new report by global human rights organisation Amnesty International has revealed that over 1,300 people have been killed in Plateau State in the past three months due to ongoing violent attacks by suspected armed groups. The group described the killings as alarming and accused both state and federal authorities of failing to adequately protect vulnerable communities.
According to a situation report released on Friday, the violence, which has affected several local government areas, continues to claim lives and displace thousands. The worst-hit areas, the report said, include Bokkos, Mangu, Riyom, and Bassa LGAs.
From December 2023 to February 2024, the report said at least 1,336 people were killed, including 533 women, 263 children, and 540 men. In addition, more than 29,554 people were displaced from their homes during this period, most of whom are now in makeshift camps or living with relatives in safer areas.
Of those displaced, 13,093 were children, and 16,461 were women, raising major concerns about the growing humanitarian crisis in the state.
“The incessant attacks carried out by suspected Fulani militias across the state have been under-reported or ignored,” the report stated. “Despite repeated calls for action, rural communities continue to suffer devastating losses in lives and property.”
Amnesty International said the scale of destruction and the frequency of the attacks raise serious questions about the government’s capacity to protect its citizens.
The report further highlighted that the violence has not stopped in 2024. In April 2025, another 51 people were killed in attacks on communities in Bassa Local Government Area, again pointing to persistent security failures.
Just recently, the Chakfem community in Mangu LGA was attacked, resulting in the deaths of 15 people. Amnesty said the attackers not only killed residents but also burnt homes and destroyed property, forcing more than 2,000 people to flee the area.
The organisation called the Chakfem incident a “clear example of how vulnerable Plateau’s rural communities remain, with little or no protection from security agencies.”
“These attacks are not isolated. They are part of a troubling pattern that continues to destroy lives, livelihoods, and entire communities in Plateau State,” Amnesty said.
Amnesty noted that most of the victims were innocent civilians, including women, children, and the elderly. Many of them were either slaughtered in their homes or shot while trying to escape. Homes were set ablaze, and farms destroyed—deepening food insecurity in the region.
The human rights body urged both the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Plateau State Government to urgently strengthen security in the affected areas and bring the perpetrators to justice.
“It is unacceptable that people are being killed in their sleep or chased out of their ancestral homes, while government responses remain slow or inadequate,” the report added.
Plateau State has long been a flashpoint of ethno-religious and farmer-herder conflicts. Tensions between indigenous farming communities and migrant herders, often identified as Fulani, have erupted into violence over the years.
While some of the violence is rooted in land and resource disputes, others are fuelled by deeper political, ethnic, and religious divisions. Security experts say that the attacks have become more coordinated and deadly in recent years, with many communities left vulnerable due to the difficult terrain and limited presence of security forces.
Local communities have repeatedly accused the government of not doing enough to stop the killings or to hold attackers accountable.
Amnesty International said that beyond deploying troops to crisis zones after attacks have occurred, the government must take preventive measures and address root causes of the violence.
It called for:
Immediate deployment of security personnel to at-risk communities
Transparent investigations into the killings
Support for displaced families
Justice for victims through arrests and prosecutions
The group also urged the government to work with local leaders, civil society, and humanitarian agencies to address the growing humanitarian crisis.
The ongoing violence has overwhelmed local communities and stretched humanitarian resources. Thousands of displaced persons are now in urgent need of food, shelter, clean water, and medical care.
Humanitarian groups have warned that unless peace is restored soon, Plateau could face a full-scale humanitarian emergency, with children and women bearing the brunt of the suffering.
