Ajifa Solomon Dozens killed in Plateau State’s Bassa LGA as government inaction fuels a deadly pattern of violence. Community voices demand accountability amid rising insecurity.
The recent massacre in Zike community, Kwall District, Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, Central Nigeria, in which at least 51 lives were lost, has reignited public outrage over the longstanding failure of the state government to protect its citizens. These are not isolated incidents but part of a long and tragic chain of violence that stretches back to 2001. The government has repeatedly been accused of responding only when the death toll becomes impossible to ignore.
Since January, the Irigwe Youth Movement (IYM), a community-based organisation, has been documenting a series of attacks targeting residents of Bassa. These assaults, described as ambushes, are reportedly carried out by armed men suspected by locals to be nomadic herders. The violence has persisted, with attackers shooting, massacring, and even beheading victims.
Some of these attacks have occurred within hours of each other and across different locations. Despite repeated pleas for intervention, the attacks continued unchecked until the devastating killing of 51 people on 13 April.
The IYM’s Facebook page has recorded numerous attacks between January and April, including ambushes on farmers, shootings, and other forms of violence across multiple villages in Bassa. The incidents range from isolated to prolonged, each leaving a trail of victims. Some result in only a few casualties, which may explain the government’s tendency to overlook them—until the body count becomes too significant to ignore.
HumAngle reports that residents raised alarms before the Zike massacre, calling for urgent intervention. None came. What followed was a preventable tragedy. The Irigwe Youth Movement and local voices like Lengdung Tungchamma have been outspoken about the deteriorating security. Lengdung, a respected community commentator, has consistently criticised the government’s silence and used his platform to document the region’s suffering.
“The state government has what it takes to handle these security problems. During campaigns, the governor did not say he could not do anything; in fact, there were speeches and manifestos where he promised to provide security,” Lengdung said.
The government’s response to these attacks has been minimal, at best. Its failure to act during weeks of escalating violence reflects a broader pattern of underestimating threats until they explode into catastrophe. The recent massacre has finally attracted media coverage, but for the grieving families, it has come too late.
While policing in Nigeria falls under federal jurisdiction, the state government is not entirely powerless.
“Some of you sincerely believe the repeated claim that the state government does not have the power to ensure security. While it’s true that the federal structure vests authority over the police and army in the presidency—and we must keep advocating for change—there remains a significant window of opportunity that governors have used to address security challenges in their states,” Lengdung noted.
He added, “When the Owo massacre happened, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu did not wait for the Federal Government. When arrests were eventually made in June, it was the Amotekun Corps that carried them out, not the police or the army. It is ironic that Amotekun began in the South-West, a region where such acts of terrorism are far less common than in the North.”
The Plateau State government has announced plans to recruit 600 personnel across its 17 local government areas for community policing. While this sounds promising, the reality on the ground paints a far grimmer picture. Operation Rainbow, the state-run security outfit, has seen some limited success, including the recent arrest of two ISWAP members posing as tailors, but such victories are too few and far between to confront the scale of violence engulfing Bassa.
In the aftermath of the Zike massacre, Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang acknowledged the government’s shortcomings. He stated, “We failed you, forgive me,” during a visit to the affected communities, expressing deep regret over the failure to prevent the attack. He also emphasised the need for communities to be vigilant and defend themselves, stating, “We have come to a point in Nigeria where every community must defend itself”
However, Governor Mutfwang has shifted the responsibility for community policing to traditional rulers and local community leaders, who often lack the resources to fund or sustain a security outfit. How he intends to implement this approach remains unclear.
