A group known as Community of Practice Against Mass Atrocities (We Mourn) has condemned the recent killing of citizens in Benue and Plateau States and has called for justice and accountability for the number of those killed.
It urged federal government to act fast and decisively in order to halt the ongoing bloodshed in the affected areas perpetuated by illegal non-state actors without consequences.
The group, which described the killings in those states as ‘”brutal and coordinated attacks on agrarian communities in Benue and Plateau States” said over 180 lives were lost in the third week of April.
It blamed suspected herders for the attacks and said it was an act of terrorism.
“In Benue State, at least 11 people were killed in Akpa, Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA); 56 others were killed in Logo and Ukum LGAs, with similar atrocities reported in Agatu, Kwande, and Katsina-Ala.
“At least, 54 people were killed in Zikke village, Bassa LGA of Plateau State, in addition to 52 others killed in six other villages within Bokkos LGA, Plateau State, in yet another targeted onslaught.
“Eyewitnesses have confirmed the presence of armed assailants in Tyolough, Ukum LGA, further aggravating fears of continued violence.
“The way and manner these attacks are undertaken leaves no doubt that they are not isolated incidents. It reflects a long-standing, systemic failure to address a crisis that has devastated agrarian communities for years”, it stated.
The report of the group stated that “From 2019 to 2024, at least 2,105 Nigerians were killed in similar attacks across Nigeria”.
It went further to add that “the frequency, coordination, lethality and impunity with which these attacks are carried out speak volumes about the Nigerian state’s inability or unwillingness to fulfill its constitutional duty as clearly provided in Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
“These victims, men, women, children, and the elderly, were killed in their sleep, on their farms, and in their homes. Their only ‘crime’ was residing in rural communities in a country increasingly defined by insecurity as a characteristic of the neglect of the rural areas by the Nigerian government.
“This brazen disregard for human life violates Section 33(1) of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantees every citizen the right to life.
“The continued erosion of this right is a stain on our collective conscience as Nigerians.It is the responsibility of the government to resolve the longstanding land use crises across the country.
“These crises are not merely about ownership or access, they are deeply tied to identity, survival, and economic control”.
It also elaborated stating that, “In Plateau and Benue States, and indeed across other parts of the country, these land disputes are further complicated by mining-related land grabs, where lands historically used for agriculture or habitation are being appropriated for extractive activities without the free, prior, and informed consent of local communities.
“The ongoing violence cannot be divorced from these systemic issues. Ignoring these root causes will only perpetuate the cycle of bloodshed, “it warned.
