The death toll in Monday’s attack on the Zike-Kimakpa community in Kwall district of Bassa Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau State, has hit 51, with over 30 houses razed.
This is just as the Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum (PDPGF) rose from its 2025/4th Meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State, lamenting the alarming and worsening security situation in the country, tasking the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reorder its priorities towards eliminating the “security breaches” across the country.
According to a Kwall community leader, Wakili Tongwe, the attackers invaded the Plateau village from Sunday night to the early hours of Monday and shot sporadically at residents who were scampering for safety after hearing gunshots.
The community leader said that a team of vigilantes, including himself and some security personnel, were on patrol in another community when the attackers invaded the village and started shooting.
Records show that no fewer than 79 persons were killed between February 2 and April 8 this year across four LGAs of the State. Specifically, on April 2, 2025, gunmen killed 52 persons in Daffo, Manguma, Hurti and Tadai villages of Bokkos LGA.
In fact, a researcher and leader of Rural Youth Integral Support Initiative, Gastor Barrie, said a total of 2,866 attacks, 1,107 deaths, and 27,330 farms destroyed were recorded from 2001 to March 2025 in the Irigwe area of the State.
Though the security personnel engaged the invaders and succeeded in repelling the attackers, the damage had been done, with about thirty-six persons shot dead and four others dying later.
Some other residents sustained gunshot wounds and are receiving medical attention at the hospital.
Security agencies in the state are yet to comment on the attack, which is coming less than two weeks after fifty-two persons were killed in some communities of the Bokkos Local Government Area of the North-Central state.
The PDP Governors commiserated “with the government and people of the State especially those who lost their lives and properties during this unfortunate mishap.”
According to the communique from Monday’s meeting: “The Forum finds alarming the worsening security situation in the country, as evidenced in parts of the country especially Borno, Plateau, Katsina and Edo States.
“The Forum calls for review and reordering of priorities and strategies including adopting a bottom up template that guarantees the sub-nationals to constitute an effective line of defence against security breaches.
“While raising the concerns above, we condemn the recent attacks in Plateau State, and commiserate with the government and people of the state especially those who lost their lives and properties during this unfortunate mishap.”