No fewer than 20 persons were reportedly killed on Monday night when gunmen suspected to be Fulani militias invaded the Bindi community in the Ta-Hoss district of Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Naija News learnt that the attackers launched a coordinated, house-to-house assault under the cover of darkness, slaughtering residents, including women, children, and the elderly, who were unable to escape the carnage.
An unspecified number of villagers were also left injured as panic-stricken residents fled into the surrounding bushes for safety.
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday by Gideon Manjal and Gadu Daniel Dong, Chairman and Publicity Secretary of the Riyom chapter of the Coalition for the Protection of Democracy (COPDEM), the group expressed deep frustration at what they described as a systemic failure to protect vulnerable communities.
“The attackers, who were properly identified as Fulani extremists by survivors, stormed the Bindi community… and in their regular pattern of attack… systematically slaughtered over 20 innocent people,” the statement read.
COPDEM said the assault took place despite the visible presence of security forces and armoured military assets stationed in and around the area.
The invaders, armed with sophisticated weapons, were said to have set homes ablaze and displaced numerous families. Survivors recounted that the assailants made no secret of their mission—to wipe out indigenous communities and take over their land.
“This assault occurred… Homes were burned, families displaced, and trauma deepened,” the group noted.
The coalition accused the authorities of ignoring repeated warnings about the presence and location of the attackers.
“These attackers are not unknown. Their hideouts and base settlements… have been repeatedly identified and reported by community leaders and local authorities. Yet, year after year, these threats continue to strike with impunity, often unchallenged,” the group added.
They said the repeated killings raise troubling questions about state failure, complicity, or neglect.
“The recurring nature of these atrocities points not only to a failure of protection but raises grave questions about inaction, negligence, and systemic compromise,” they said.
The group called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Plateau State Government, and the security agencies to urgently launch a high-level military intervention, dismantle the identified terrorist enclaves, and declare a state of emergency in the affected areas.
They also demanded direct humanitarian relief, community rebuilding efforts, and psychosocial support for survivors.
COPDEM strongly criticised what it called the routine of condolence visits and empty press statements from public officials, which they say have done little to stop the bloodshed.
“Our people are being buried daily. We are tired of condolence visits and silence. We are tired of press statements that do not translate to protection,” the statement read.
They insisted that communities like Ta-Hoss, Jol, Rim, Bachi, Wereng, and Nding “deserve more than sympathy. They deserve security, dignity, and justice.”
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