Fulani Militia Attacks Tick Up in Plateau State
By Lawrence Zongo, TruthNigeria
(Jos) Breaking: The peaceful rhythm of a Sunday morning, June 8and Monday, June 9, were shattered when Fulani militias launched coordinated attacks on several communities in Plateau State, killing four Christian farmers, injuring several others, and spreading fresh waves of fear and displacement.
Among the dead: Tushe Jimmy, a 32-year-old deaf farmer, and Paul James, 34, both killed at Nche-Tahu village, Northwest of Jos, Plateau State Capital on Monday, June 9. They were killed while planting sweet potatoes.
The attackers reportedly opened fire Monday on four Irigwe men working their farmlands. Two survived with injuries: Chakwa Timothy and Luka Sunday, now receiving treatment at an undisclosed medical facility.
“We are devastated,” said Joseph Chudu, National Publicity Secretary of the Irigwe Youth Movement “This was not an isolated case,” Chudu told TruthNigeria. “These militias are executing a sustained campaign to wipe out entire communities,” he said
The same afternoon, Fulani assailants stabbed Mr. Joshua Tsuu, a farmer from Rewienku in Kwall District, while tending his crops. He miraculously escaped and is hospitalized.
Bloodshed on Sunday Afternoon
The previous day, along the Jos-Miango Road, two Irigwe Christians—Danlami Zamfara, 25, and Galadima Thomas, 35—were stoned to death near Rafiki Village, barely 200 meters from a military surveillance station. Both were returning to Jos City after attending early morning church services. The attackers blocked the road, dragging commuters from their motorcycles and cars and striking them with stones and sticks.
A survivor, Gideon Zamfara, 21, who sustained head injuries, recounted the horror from his hospital bed: “They came out of the bush shouting “Allahu Akbar” and stoned us. I watched my elder brother die before my eyes.” The Zamfara family from Ancha village is in mourning. Their father, a Baptist pastor, could not speak to reporters due to grief.
Medical staff at Enos Hospital confirmed the brutal nature of the attack. “This is the first time I’ve seen death by stoning. In the past year alone, I’ve treated over 100 survivors of gunshot and machete wounds, but this method is both primitive and terrifying,” said Dr. Abel Joseph.
“Many survivors can’t even afford treatment, and we lost 35 in the hospital due to a shortage of drugs,” Joseph added. The doctor said he appreciates Equipping the Needy and other NGOs for assisting with the payment of medical bills and is pleading with the government to equip the hospital with drugs since the hospital is the only hospital in the Chiefdom.
Army Checkpoint— No Protection
All the attacks happened near three military checkpoints—Rafiki, Mararaban-Dere, and DTV. Local community watchman, Mr. Che Joseph, who narrowly escaped, said security personnel were close but didn’t Intervene. “I ran to the DTV checkpoint. The soldiers there told me they didn’t have bullets,” he said. “I had only a den gun (homemade pipe gun). The attackers were over 50, shouting as they blocked the federal road.” He said that at least seven soldiers are manning each army checkpoint.
Community Leader John Weyi confirmed that 14 Fulani men were arrested after the attacks on Sunday but emphasized that the military’s delayed response allowed the killers to operate freely.
Human rights activist Gata Moses called the attack part of a broader trend targeting Christian farming communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. “This is not just about land. It’s a coordinated effort to push Christians off fertile lands,” he said. Moses, who has been documenting violence in Plateau State, pointed to recurring patterns of attacks that result in displacement and takeover of land for cattle grazing.
The pattern of the attacks on Sunday and Monday were all too familiar to Gastor Barrie, a faith-based Humanitarian leader, Gastor Barrie, Executive Director of Rural Youth Integral Support Initiative (RUYISI), who has documented the long history of violence in the region.
“Since 2001, attacks have increased, particularly from newly settled Fulani militias in nearby areas like Rafiki, Dogo Daji, and Agingi,” he said. “These new settlements serve as launch pads for terrorizing Christian farmers.”
Barrie added that from 2001 to 2023, more than 236 Irigwe communities were attacked. The years 2017 to 2021 were particularly violent, with 44 villages attacked in 2021 alone. Jebbu Miango, another Irigwe community, has endured 186 attacks in 23 years, while Kpachudu, where Nche-Tahu has seen 140 attacks. The most devastating happened on April 14, 2025, when 54 Christians were massacred in a single night in Zikke village.
Despite these horrifying statistics, accountability remains elusive. The presence of military forces has done little to halt the bloodshed, according to Barrie. “Local leaders call this latest wave a ‘silent slaughter’ — underreported and insufficiently addressed by the government and the international community,” Barrie said.
The Irigwe Development Association (IDA), the socio-cultural body representing the victims’ ethnic group, issued a statement condemning the attacks. “We are deeply saddened by this development, especially after losing six persons earlier in the week,” said Sam Jugo, the association’s national publicity secretary. “We call on the security agencies to identify and bring the perpetrators to justice.”
This is the seventh reported attack on Christian farmers in Bassa County in less than a month. In many of these cases, the assailants are reported to be armed Fulani men targeting rural communities. Survivors often report gunfire, looting, and arson as tactics used to terrorize villagers.
“We’re not just losing lives—we’re losing faith in our country’s ability to protect us,” said Jugo, “How can children grow up in a world where their guardians are murdered in the fields?”
Joseph Chudu, from the Irigwe Youths, asked a haunting question many now echo: “What is the point of Army checkpoints if our people can still be killed so easily?”
Lawrence Zongo is a conflict reporter for TruthNigeria.
