Due to a sharp increase in banditry, terrorism, and insurgency in northern Nigeria, the Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, Muhammadu Yahaya, is working with other governors in the region to develop a joint strategy to tackle the crisis.
On Monday, gunmen attacked Zike and Kimakpa communities in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, killing 51 people, including an entire family of eight.
This came just under two weeks after another deadly attack in Bokkos LGA left 52 people dead, with homes burned, property destroyed, and many injured.
In another incident on Tuesday evening, the death toll from an attack on Otobi community in Otukpo LGA, Benue State, rose to 11, local officials confirmed on Wednesday.
Senator Ali Ndume also disclosed this week that Boko Haram had carried out 252 attacks in Borno State from November 2024 to April 2025, killing 380 people.
All three northern geopolitical zones North-west, North-central, and North-east are struggling with persistent violence.
The North-west faces rampant kidnappings, killings, and cattle rustling by armed bandits. The North-central battles deep-rooted ethnic and religious tensions worsened by criminal gangs, while the North-east continues to fight Boko Haram and its affiliate, Islamic State West Africa Province.
The situation has worsened over the years. According to an SBM Intelligence report, over 1,356 farmers were killed by bandits between 2020 and 2024, and N139 million was paid as farm levies to bandits. These groups demanded at least N224 million in the same period across the northern region.
The report, backed by data from Global Human Rights Nigeria, also revealed that 24,816 people were killed and 15,597 kidnapped in Nigeria over the past five years.
Reacting to the recent killings in Plateau State, President Bola Tinubu said “enough is enough” and instructed Governor Caleb Mutfwang and the military to stop the bloodshed.
Governor Mutfwang responded quickly, banning night-time grazing and placing restrictions on the use of motorcycles statewide.
He also banned the transportation of cattle in vehicles after 7 p.m., with the motorcycle ban in effect from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily until further notice.
In a televised address, he described the killings as “coordinated acts of terror” aimed at forcing people from their ancestral homes.
“The memories of Dogo Na Hawa, Riyom, Barkin-Ladi, Mangu, and the Christmas Eve massacres in Bokkos still haunt us. The cycle must end. Enough is enough,” the governor declared.
