On 10 April 2022, a gang of bandits killed more than 150 people in a series of attacks in

Plateau State Plateau State is the twelfth-largest Nigerian state. It is in the centre of the country includes a range of hills surrounding the Jos Plateau, its capital, and the entire plateau itself. Plateau State is described as "The Home of Peace and To ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. The attacks are linked to the ongoing

Nigerian bandit conflict The bandit conflict in northwest Nigeria is an ongoing conflict between the country's government and various gangs and ethnic militias. Starting in 2011, the insecurity remaining from the conflict between the Fulani and Hausa ethnic groups qu ...

. About 70 people were also

kidnapped Kidnapped may refer to: * subject to the crime of kidnapping Literature * ''Kidnapped'' (novel), an 1886 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson * ''Kidnapped'' (comics), a 2007 graphic novel adaptation of R. L. Stevenson's novel by Alan Grant and Ca ...

in the attacks.

Background

Nigeria is badly affected by several

low-intensity conflict A low-intensity conflict (LIC) is a military conflict, usually localised, between two or more state or non-state groups which is below the intensity of conventional war. It involves the state's use of military forces applied selectively and with ...

s. These include the

Boko Haram insurgency The Boko Haram insurgency began in July 2009, when the militant Islamist and jihadist rebel group Boko Haram started an armed rebellion against the government of Nigeria. The conflict is taking place within the context of long-standing iss ...

, which began in 2009, and the Nigerian bandit conflict, which began in 2011. In the early 2020s, bandit attacks increased. The week before the attack, bandits carried out a major attack on a

military base A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...

Kaduna State Kaduna State ( ha, Jihar Kaduna جىِهَر كَدُنا; ff, Leydi Kaduna, script=Latn, ; kcg, Sitet Kaduna) is a state in northern Nigeria. The state capital is its namesake, the city of Kaduna which happened to be the 8th largest city in ...

, killing 15 soldiers. An attack on a

harvest festival A harvest festival is an annual celebration that occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals can be found at various times at different places. ...

that week killed 17. A few weeks before, an attack on a train heading to Kaduna killed upwards of 60 passengers. The day of the attack, bandits killed 15 people in an unrelated incident. The

massacre A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...

happened in a village in

Chikun Chikun is a Local Government Area in central Kaduna State, Nigeria. It has an area of 4,466 km, and had a population of 372,272 as at the 2006 census. Its headquarters is in the town of Kujama. The postal code of the area is 2438000. Boundari ...

. Local community leader Isiaku Madaki, who had been installed less than a day before, was among the dead.

Attack

On the afternoon of 10 April 2022, a bandit gang, believed to be

Fulani herdsmen Fulani herdsmen or Fulani pastoralists are nomadic or semi-nomadic Fulani people whose primary occupation is raising livestock. The Fulani herdsmen are largely located in the Sahel and semi-arid parts of West Africa, but due to relatively recen ...

, attacked nine villages in Plateau State. All the villages were in the Kanam and

Wase Wase may refer to: * Wase language (or Wãpha), a Jukunoid language of Nigeria *Wase, Nigeria, a town and Local Government Area in Plateau State, Nigeria ** Wase River ** Wase Rock, a massive rocky inselberg * Wase Wind, a Flemish energy cooperative ...

local government areas A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a state, province, division, or territory. The phrase i ...

. Gunmen killed at least 50 people and kidnapped about 70 others. They also torched and looted houses during the rampage. Victims who died in the attacks were buried in

mass grave A mass grave is a grave containing multiple human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. The United Nations has defined a criminal mass grave as a burial site containing three or more victims of execution, although an exact ...

s in Kanam. While

Nigerian president The president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is the head of state and head of government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the Nigeri ...

Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician and current president of Nigeria since 2015. Buhari is a retired Nigerian Army major general who served as the country's military head of state from 31 December 1983 to 27 Au ...

vowed that there will be "no mercy" for the perpetrators of these attacks, leaders of the local communities called for his resignation for his failure to maintain order and security.

Casualties

Initial reports and authorities said that at least 50 had been killed. Witnesses told the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

that the death toll was more than 100, with others placing the estimate as high as at least 130. On 11 April,

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

stated at least 70 had been slain.

Vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives fr ...

reported at least 78 people had been killed in Kanam and 15 others in

during the attacks.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plateau State massacres, 2022 2022 murders in Nigeria 2020s massacres in Nigeria 2022 massacres April 2022 crimes in Africa Arson in Nigeria Arson in the 2020s Attacks on buildings and structures in 2022 Attacks on buildings and structures in Nigeria 2022 massacres Kidnappings in Nigeria Looting in Nigeria Mass kidnappings in the 2020s Massacres in 2022 Terrorist incidents in Nigeria in 2022 April 2022 events in Nigeria Attacks in Nigeria in 2022

Background

Attack

Casualties

See also

References