Targeted killings escalate tensions in Plateau

A surge in targeted attacks on members of the Fulani community in Bokkos and surrounding areas of Plateau State is heightening ethnic tensions and fuelling cycles of deadly reprisals, amid growing frustration over what victims describe as official inaction.

Fulani leaders say no member of their community can safely pass through certain villages without risk of attack, as stereotypes portraying all Fulanis as terrorists persist. On Monday, two herders and nearly ten cows were killed in Barr community, Bokkos LGA.

As in similar cases, no arrests have been made, and Plateau State authorities have issued no public condemnation.

Recent incidents have followed a disturbing pattern. On July 10, 2025, Usman Maguna, a Fulani man from Bokkos, was reportedly killed while passing through Jebbu.

Two days later, respected cleric Malam Haruna Bangai and his wife from Barkin Ladi were murdered in the same community.

Community elders say police have repeatedly told them there is “nothing they can do,” a stance they warn only deepens resentment and triggers retaliatory violence.

Critics accuse the Plateau State Government, traditional leaders, and local media of applying a double standard — ignoring or downplaying attacks on Fulani, while quickly condemning reprisals as terrorism.

Victims also allege that the governor has never visited Fulani families after such killings, nor paid compensation or publicly denounced the violence, reportedly to avoid political backlash.

There are also claims that suspects arrested for killing Fulani are often released under political pressure, with one recent case allegedly involving the governor instructing security agencies to free detained suspects.

Analysts warn that selective justice, political expediency, and the absence of accountability are creating fertile ground for renewed violence. Once one attack occurs, reprisals quickly follow, further entrenching hostility.

“This is not about comparing death tolls,” a Fulani elder in Bokkos said. “It’s about the state’s refusal to act when innocent lives are taken. That refusal is what fuels the violence.”

Observers say that until authorities act decisively and impartially to protect all communities and prosecute offenders, Bokkos will remain trapped in a deadly cycle where justice is denied, tensions fester, and lives on both sides continue to be lost.