Renewed violence has once again rocked Plateau State, claiming the lives of a father and his two sons in the Zogu Community, located in Miango District of Bassa Local Government Area.
The tragic incident, which occurred in the early hours of Friday, is being blamed on suspected bandits, further intensifying fears in the region.
The victims, 56-year-old Weyi Gebeh and his sons, 25-year-old Zhu Weyi and 16-year-old Henry Weyi, were reportedly killed in their home.
This grim development adds to the growing number of fatalities in a region that has witnessed a string of deadly assaults, with more than 60 people recently killed in a series of coordinated attacks on villages in Bokkos LGA.
Confirming the attack, the National Publicity Secretary of the Irigwe Development Association, Sam Jugo, issued a statement expressing deep concern over the deteriorating security situation in Irigwe land.
“This recent event brings to 9 deaths recorded this week alone. IDA expresses its utmost displeasure on the deteriorating situation in Irigwe land and calls on the security agencies to do whatever that’s required to halt this barbarism on our land and perpetrators apprehended to face justice,” Jugo stated.
He went on to decry the seeming impunity with which such atrocities are committed.
“The way criminal elements invade our motherland and kill with impunity seems to suggest a more sinister motive than mere reprisal alleged wrongs. IDA therefore calls the Plateau State government and the security to do the needful and stop the killing of innocent people in Irigwe land,” he added.
In a swift reaction, various advocacy groups, including the Middle Belt Ethnic Nationalities and a coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Plateau State, held separate press conferences in Jos to denounce the killings and press for urgent action from both state and federal authorities.
Speaking on behalf of the Middle Belt Ethnic Nationalities, Professor Abraham Dogo,l amented the relentless attacks on rural communities, particularly in Bokkos LGA.
“On Wednesday, April 2nd, 2025, our peace-loving and hardworking farmers in Bokkos local government area of Plateau State were once again attacked in a senseless and brutal massacre.
These innocent and defenceless citizens were mercilessly killed by suspected armed and deadly herders/terrorists — agents of destruction who have no regard for human life, law, or peaceful coexistence.
We demand justice. We demand protection. We demand peace.
We stand today in grief, but not in defeat. We will continue to raise our voices until the lives of every Nigerian, regardless of tribe or faith, are valued and protected,” Dogo declared.
Chairman of the Plateau State Civil Society Organisation Forum, Rev. Chris Damcher, also lent his voice in solidarity, calling for calm and renewed hope as the farming season approaches.
“We stand with the communities in Bokkos and pray that soon and very soon, they will return to their communities with the setting in of the rains for the farming season.
We pray for the reign of peace in our dear state as we declare that enough of the bloodshed and bloodletting in Plateau State,” he said.
With tensions high and community members grieving yet another round of losses, the call for justice, security, and peace continues to echo across Plateau and the greater Middle Belt, where many feel abandoned in the face of growing violence.
