The death toll from a devastating attack on the Irigwe ethnic community in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State has risen to 51, plunging the region into yet another round of grief and desperation.
The gruesome assault, carried out by suspected armed herdsmen in the early hours of Monday between 12:00am and 1:30am, also left more than 10 people critically injured and dozens of houses burned to the ground.
Among the dead are women and children, including the elderly and infants. Victims identified by the Irigwe Youth Movement include Musa Dako, aged 64; Daniel Adams, 27; Obadiah Usman, 31; Zinas James, 22; Monday Sareke, 37; Yohanna Kusa, 43; Janet Danjuma, 29; Sunday Dako, 49; Reuben Adamu, 94; Dogara Adamu, 69; Bulus Moses, 26; Stephen John, 28; Menche Stephen, 7; Nema Stephen, 4; Mary Stephen, 24; Wiki John, 30; Joshua John Bagu, 46; and Margaret Morris, 6, among others.
This attack is the latest in a series of deadly ambushes that have plagued the Irigwe people. More than 30 individuals were killed in similar assaults over the past month alone, bringing the total number of lives lost since December 2024 to nearly 100. The violence has also led to the widespread destruction of farmlands, homes, and essential livelihood resources.
In a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the Irigwe Youth Movement, Joseph Chudu Yonkpa, the community expressed frustration over the government’s failure to protect them.
He lamented that despite repeated calls for help, the Irigwe people continue to suffer what they described as genocide with no consequences for the perpetrators.
“As a people, all our efforts to amplify our voice and let the world know about the ongoing genocide in our land fall on deaf ears,” the statement read.
“These attacks are one too many, and the Irigwe people are deeply concerned if they are not citizens of Nigeria, as our attackers usually maim and destroy our people with impunity and without arrests of those who perpetrated all these crimes.”
The community appealed to the federal government, civil society groups, non-governmental organizations, and the international community to intervene. They called for the immediate establishment of an independent committee by the National Defense Headquarters to investigate the killings, arrest the perpetrators and their sponsors, and bring them to justice.
They also called on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Plateau State Emergency Management Agency (PLASEMA), the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, corporate organizations, and well-meaning individuals to provide relief to the affected families. Many have lost not just their homes and farmlands but also the breadwinners who sustained them.
“We have never gotten it this bad with the killings of these 51 persons in our land. We are crying out for help from the government, non-governmental organizations, civil society organisations and spirited individuals to not only condemn the situation but join us in demanding justice for all our slain brothers whose lives have been cut short by Fulani militias,” Yonkpa stated.
The Irigwe Youth Movement reaffirmed its commitment to seeking justice within the confines of the law and called on Nigerians to join them in their pursuit.
They ended the statement with a prayer for the souls of their loved ones, saying, “We will continue to seek justice for our people within the ambits of the law and we pray that God rest the souls of our loved ones.”