At least 45 people have been confirmed dead and many others seriously injured following a coordinated attack on Zike Kimakpa, a community in the Kwall District of Irigwe Chiefdom, located in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The assault, which unfolded late Sunday night, plunged the once peaceful village into a state of mourning and shock. Residents recounted harrowing scenes of armed assailants storming the area under the cover of darkness, opening fire indiscriminately and torching homes in a calculated strike.
Eyewitnesses told Leadership that the attackers moved swiftly, setting fire to no fewer than 30 houses, leaving countless families displaced and properties destroyed. “They came in shooting, and everywhere was chaos,” one local source said.
Victims and Casualties
Danjuma Dickson Auta, Secretary General of the Irigwe Development Association (IDA), confirmed the incident in a telephone interview. He said that over 45 corpses had already been recovered, with the number of casualties expected to rise as search and rescue efforts continue. “It was clearly a coordinated and premeditated attack,” Auta emphasized, pointing to the scale and intensity of the violence.
Government Reaction and Condemnation
The Plateau State Government has reacted with outrage and sorrow, condemning the attack as “unprovoked and horrific.” The state’s Commissioner for Information and Communication, Hon. Joyce Ramnap, lamented the reoccurring violence, calling it “one too many” for the people of the region.
“It is tragic that just days after innocent lives were lost in Bokkos Local Government, we are again mourning in Bassa,” she said. Ramnap suggested that the attack was aimed at derailing the fragile peace that the state has been trying to restore under the leadership of Governor Caleb Mutfwang.
She urged residents to remain calm and avoid retaliatory actions, assuring the public that the state government is working closely with security agencies to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Calls for Security and Accountability
Ramnap stressed the need for improved security architecture and faster response times from federal security forces, adding that the Plateau State Government remains committed to protecting lives and restoring order in conflict-prone areas.
She also reiterated that the government is determined to identify, apprehend, and prosecute those behind the attack, while also providing relief and support to the grieving families.
