On the night of Thursday, June 19, 2025, a brutal wave of violence shattered the fragile peace in Plateau State, Nigeria, as gunmen launched coordinated attacks on two local government areas, leaving at least 15 people dead.
The communities of Manja in Chakfem kingdom, Mangu LGA, and Tangur in Bokkos LGA were mercilessly targeted in what appears to be a calculated attempt to spread terror and chaos.
The attackers struck at different times, with the assault on Tangur occurring around 9 pm, when residents were already retreating to their homes for the night.
Meanwhile, the Chakfem community suffered an earlier onslaught.
Eyewitnesses reported that the gunmen operated with deadly precision.
Shooting sporadically and breaking into homes before vanishing into the darkness, leaving devastation in their wake.
Sources from both Mangu and Bokkos confirmed the grim toll: seven people were killed in Mangu
hile eight lost their lives in Bokkos.
One local source described the harrowing scene, saying the gunmen “came to our community.
And started shooting sporadically, breaking into people’s homes as if hunting for prey.”
The Director of Culture for the Mwaghavul Development Association and Director of the IDP (Pilot Science).
Camp in Mangu, Shohotden Mathias Ibrahim, verified the death toll and revealed that the community remains tense and fearful in the aftermath.
Despite repeated attempts, community leaders in Bokkos have not responded to inquiries.
And the Plateau State Police Command’s spokesperson, Alfred Alabo, has remained silent, ignoring calls and messages as of Friday morning, June 20.
This silence from security agencies raises serious questions about the government’s commitment to protecting its citizens amid escalating violence.
This fresh attack is not an isolated incident but part of a disturbing pattern of violence that has plagued Plateau State and the wider region.
The state has been a hotspot for deadly clashes, often linked to the ongoing herder-farmer conflicts and criminal banditry.
The attackers, often described as armed bandits or Fulani herdsmen, have repeatedly exploited the region’s fragile security situation to carry out massacres, kidnappings, and arson.
The Nigerian government’s response to these recurring attacks has been widely criticized as inadequate and slow.
In previous incidents, such as the horrific Christmas Eve attacks in 2023 that claimed over 140 lives in Plateau.
Security forces were accused of delayed action, allowing the violence to escalate unchecked.
President Bola Tinubu, who promised to tackle Nigeria’s security challenges upon his election.
Thishas ordered intensified military operations and relief efforts, but the killings continue unabated.
The recent attacks in Mangu and Bokkos highlight the government’s failure to protect vulnerable communities.
The fact that gunmen could infiltrate these areas, kill indiscriminately.
And escape without immediate pursuit underscores the systemic weaknesses in Nigeria’s security architecture.
The people of Plateau State are left to bear the brunt of this negligence, living in constant fear as their homes become battlegrounds.
This latest violence also exposes the deep-rooted ethnic and resource-based tensions fueling the conflict.
Competition over land and water between nomadic herders and sedentary farmers has been exacerbated by climate change, population growth, and poor governance.
These factors have created a volatile environment where armed groups operate with impunity.
errorizing civilians and undermining peace efforts.
As the death toll rises, calls for justice and accountability grow louder.
Local leaders and civil society groups are demanding that the government take decisive action to end the cycle of violence.
Yet, with each new attack, trust in the authorities erodes further, and the people’s despair deepens.
The chilling reality is that these massacres are not random acts of violence but part of a broader crisis that threatens Nigeria’s stability.
The government’s failure to secure Plateau State and other affected regions risks plunging the nation into deeper chaos.
Without urgent and effective intervention, more lives will be lost, and communities will continue to be destroyed.
For the victims and survivors of the June 19 attacks, there is little solace.
Their grief is compounded by the silence of those sworn to protect them.
The world watches as Plateau State bleeds, awaiting a response that has yet to come.
This incident demands not only condemnation but also immediate action.
The people of Plateau deserve security, justice, and peace not hollow promises and delayed responses.
The time for complacency is over; the government must be held accountable for the blood spilled on its watch.
June 19, 2025, will be remembered as another dark day in Plateau’s troubled history a day when violence was allowed to reign, and innocent lives were brutally cut short.
The question now is: how long will this cycle of death and destruction continue before those responsible are brought to justice and lasting peace is restored?
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