At least 25 killed in attack on village in Nigeria's Plateau state
Armed men stormed the village of Bin-Per in Mangu, marking the latest incident in a cycle of violence between herders and farmers.
Quick Look
- At least 25 people, mostly women and children, were killed by armed men in Bin-Per village, Plateau state, Nigeria.
- The attack follows a cycle of reprisals between herders and farmers in the region, drawing criticism over the government's failure to ensure security.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The violence is part of a long-standing conflict between nomadic Fulani herders and sedentary farmers over land and resources in Nigeria's Middle Belt. Plateau state has experienced repeated cycles of retaliatory attacks and urban religious violence.
Local officials say at least 25 people were murdered on Monday night by armed men who stormed the village of Bin-Per, in the Mangu local government area of Nigeria's Plateau state.
Perpetrators reportedly moved from house to house, killing residents with machetes.
Women and children accounted for most of the victims.
Resident Muftwan Yamput told France's AFP news agency that he and his family "survived by a whisker."
"But," he added, "my neighbors were attacked. Two people killed in their house."
Monday night's massacre followed the killing of two herders last week.
Those were in turn followed by a suspected reprisal targeting the nearby village of Maitimbe, where multiple houses were torched.
The Mwaghavul Youth Movement, a local advocacy group, has accused authorities of failing to protect vulnerable communities.
"The recurring destruction of communities, killing of innocent citizens, burning of homes and destruction of farmlands cannot continue to be treated as ordinary incidents," said the group's spokesperson on Sunday while calling for a review of security in the area.
Matthew Kwarpo, a representative in the Plateau state assembly, called on authorities to, "deploy proactive measures in preventing or mitigating unnecessary attacks before they occur," especially in Mangu.
"The incident underscores the urgent need for concerted efforts to address the underlying grievances and prevent further escalation of violence in the affected communities," said Kwarpo.
The incidents of the last week are the continuation of years of spiraling violence between nomadic Muslim ethnic Fulani herders and mainly Christian farmers over access to increasingly scarce land and resources in central Nigeria's Middle Belt region.
Land grabbing over mineral and mining resources, political and economic tensions between locals and outsiders, and the influx of hardline Muslim and Christian preachers have all fueled divisions.
Plateau has also seen hundreds killed in urban riots between religious groups in recent years.
In May 2025, rights group Amnesty International (AI) estimated that at least 2,630 people had been killed in Plateau state alone in the two years since President Bola Tinubu had taken office on the promise of enhancing security.
The group said authorities had instead failed "to protect the rights to life, physical integrity, liberty and the security of tens of thousands of people across the country."
Open Questions
- Will the government deploy additional security forces to Mangu?
- What specific measures will be taken to address the underlying land grievances?
