At least 20 people were killed on Monday night in Bindi, a community in Ta-Hoss district of Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, following a brutal attack by gunmen suspected to be Fulani militias. Dozens more were reportedly injured in the violence, which forced residents to flee in panic.
The assailants, according to eyewitness accounts, stormed the village while residents were asleep and launched a house-to-house attack, targeting women, children, and the elderly who could not escape in time. Survivors said the attackers were heavily armed and operated with military precision.
In a statement signed by Gideon Manjal and Gadu Daniel Dong, Chairman and Publicity Secretary of the Coalition for the Protection of Democracy (COPDEM), Riyom chapter, and obtained by Journalists on Tuesday in Jos, condemned the killings and described the attack as part of a coordinated campaign to displace indigenous populations and seize ancestral lands.
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“This assault occurred despite the visible presence of security forces in and around the area, including armored military assets”; the group said.
COPDEM accused government and security agencies of negligence and inaction, stating that the identities and hideouts of the attackers are known to authorities but have not been dismantled.
“These known threats continue to strike with impunity, often unchallenged,” the statement added.
The group called on President Bola Tinubu and the Plateau State government to launch a high-level military operation targeting the enclaves harboring the suspected terrorists. They also urged for provision of humanitarian aid and trauma support to the displaced people.
Condemning the lack of concrete government response, the group said communities like Ta-Hoss, Jol, Rim, and Bachi have suffered repeated attacks without meaningful protection or justice.
As at the time of filing this report, both the Plateau State Police Command and Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), the Special Military Taskforce incharge of Plateau and it’s environs were yet to comment on the incident.
BusinessDay reports that the violence in Plateau State is part of a broader pattern of insecurity in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where ethnic and religious tensions have fueled deadly conflicts. Local communities continue to demand lasting solutions, justice, and security guarantees to prevent further bloodshed.
