A fact-finding panel on the protracted killings in Plateau State has revealed that no fewer than 11,749 people have been killed between 2001 and 2025, with 420 communities across 13 local government areas devastated by violent attacks.
The chairman of the committee, Nicholas Rogers, disclosed the grim statistics on Friday while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
He said the report, which was formally submitted to Governor Caleb Mutfwang on Thursday, painted “a very holistic and comprehensive” picture of the crisis.
“It is very sad that things like this happen in our own country, and people don’t even care about this state,” Rogers lamented. “The figures we submitted are only recorded numbers. I am very sure the real figure is far higher.”
According to him, the violence — driven largely by herder-farmer clashes, ethno-religious crises, and inter-communal conflicts — has left hundreds of communities destroyed and displaced thousands of families in the last four years alone.
He stressed that the report’s recommendations, if sincerely implemented, could help restore peace in Plateau and rebuild public confidence.
“The report will only make sense if there is the political will by the governor and the people of Plateau to implement it. If done honestly, it will go a long way in providing the needed peace and enabling environment in the state,” he added.
Rogers also called for federal intervention, saying the security architecture in Plateau requires urgent strengthening.
He particularly noted that Bokkos and Mangu LGAs, which have become epicentres of repeated attacks due to their vast forests, should have more troops deployed to them.
He further advised the state government to: amend its laws to criminalise cattle rustling, farmland destruction, and illegal mining without an option of fine.
Establish ranches across senatorial zones to curb recurring clashes.
Invest in technology and logistics for security agencies to respond faster to threats.
Rogers dismissed the notion of an ongoing “war against insecurity,” insisting that the country has failed to treat the crisis with the seriousness it deserves.
“Something has to be done to stop these incessant killings; otherwise, one day, we might wake up and discover there is no longer something called Nigeria,” he warned.
Plateau, once known as the “Home of Peace and Tourism,” has in the past two decades become a flashpoint of deadly violence, with recurring attacks leaving scars on its multi-ethnic communities and fuelling displacement across the Middle Belt.
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