Outrage as seven more Plateau att∆ck v!ctims buri£d

Outrage as seven more Plateau attack victims buried

Outrage and grief engulfed Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State on Saturday as residents buried seven more victims killed by gunmen in a recent attack on their community.

The burial, held at a primary school in Miango, turned into a protest ground as angry youths, women and community leaders decried what they described as unending killings in their land.

Among those buried was a graduate of Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Abbas Musa, and a health officer with Bassa LGA, who was shot dead in his house on February 23, 2026.

Also laid to rest were five members of the same family — Nancy Monday, Nuhu Isaiah, Henry Dah, Zongo Sunday and Tarma Monday — who reportedly fled into their bedrooms but were followed and shot dead by their attackers on February 26, 2026.

The development came barely one week after nine victims of a terror attack in Dorowa Babuje Community, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, were laid to rest, deepening fears and frustration across affected communities.

At the Miango burial ground, mourners carried placards with inscriptions such as “Irigwe Lives Matter,” “Stop This Christian Genocide,” “End Christian Genocide in Nigeria,” “Listen to the Cries of Our Widows,” “Justice for the Slain Victims,” and “Stop the Senseless Killings,” reflecting the anger that has continued to trail the attacks.

The National President of the Irigwe Youths Movement, Ezekiel Bini, condemned the latest attack, saying the community was exhausted from repeatedly burying its members.

“We are tired of burying our people. We demand justice and protection for our community. We thought this nonsense would have stopped by now after two decades. We can no longer take it. We have been crying and no one seems to hear us,” he said.

Bini added that claims of a Christian genocide should not be dismissed, insisting that the scale of killings spoke for itself.

He also criticised the arrest of some Irigwe persons over the death of cows, warning that the community would resist being blamed for incidents they knew nothing about.

“No Irigwe man should take responsibility for something we don’t know. If you arrest any Irigwe person because of the death of any cow, we will not accept it again. Enough is enough,” he added.

The Paramount Ruler of the Irigwe ethnic nationality, Ronku Aku, described the day as dark and painful for his people.

“Our problem is open grazing. My people are being killed. Open grazing must stop for us to have peace in Nigeria. I am calling on the government to intervene in this matter. You can’t be a chief without the people,” the monarch said.

Chairman of Bassa Local Government Area, Joshua Riti, promised to collaborate with security agencies to ensure those behind the attack were apprehended and punished.

The attack, which claimed seven lives, has further heightened tension in the area, with residents demanding stronger security measures to prevent further bloodshed.