Soldiers Just a Half Mile from an Attack Site Failed to Help
By Lawrence Zongo
(Jos) Breaking: At least 17 Christians were killed late Friday night, October 31, in coordinated assaults on villages along the Plateau–Kaduna border, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) for its repeated violations of religious freedom.
In neither attack did Nigerian military or police agents appear on the scene to defend the residents, who are chiefly famers, according to locals interviewed by TruthNigeria.
The attacks struck two rural communities—Kwi (“KWEE”) in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State and Damakasuwa (pronounced “da-MAK – aZwa”), a border town in southern Kaduna. The communities were related by ethnicity, which is Irigwe, a small, majority-Christian tribe that has suffered dozens of attacks by Fulani Ethnic Militia during the last 10 years. The Fulani tribe numbers more than a million members and has factions that are radicalized Islamist Muslims.
Residents described the two incidents as the latest in a series of one-sided attacks that have terrorized and dispersed farming settlements across Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
To the shock of many, the attack on the town of Damakasuwa got no help from the military despite the presence nearby of a small Forward Operating Base (FOB) staffed by approximately 10 soldiers, equipped with assault rifles, a gun truck and several motor bikes. Ezekiel Isa, a resident of Damakasua said that the army response came too late, even though the FOB is located just one kilometer from the community, he told TruthNigeria. The attackers split into three groups—one positioned near the community hall, another along the road, and the third near the youth leader’s house, he said. The assault came as a surprise as villagers were celebrating with drumming and local dances and did not anticipate any threat. “The assailants appeared to be targeting their community leader, Bala Rudeh, who they resented for denouncing the Fulani militias’ repeated attacks,” Ezekiel said. Gunfire erupted around midnight, according to locals.
Eyewitnesses told TruthNigeria that the attackers, numbering more than a dozen, entered the town on motorcycles, shooting sporadically for nearly half an hour.
Rudeh, the respected local youth leader, was among those killed. Residents said he had long urged both state governments to establish a joint security patrol to monitor the porous border communities between Plateau and Kaduna. Some believe Mr. Rudeh was targeted, because he was the person expected to notify authorities in case of an attack.
“Bala was always the first to respond when there was an alert of an impending attack,” said community member Mr. Simon Ayuba. “He used to organize local youths to guard the village. Losing him has shaken everyone.”
By morning, five bodies were recovered. Several homes were burned, and livestock were stolen.
Voices from the Community
The Community Development Association (CDA) of Tsam Land, which covers Damakasuwa and neighboring villages, issued a statement signed by its National Public Relations Officer, Comrade Yohanna Bishara.
“Indeed, Tsam land is bleeding,” the statement read. “Our national youth leader, Mr. Bala Rudeh, was shot dead alongside six others, while several others sustained injuries and are receiving treatment.”
The CDA described the day as a “Black Friday” for the community and called for a full investigation into the killings.
“We call on government security agencies to intervene and prevent a recurrence of these deadly incidents,” it said. “We urge our people to remain calm, as God is surely working behind the scenes.”
Kwi Village: Night of Gunfire
Kwi, a farming village located about 20 miles southwest of Jos, in Plateau State, sits within the rocky plains of Riyom, one of Plateau’s most volatile regions. According to local sources who spoke to TruthNigeria, gunmen suspected to be Fulani Ethnic Militia surrounded the community shortly after 10 p.m. on Oct. 31, firing shots and torching houses.
By dawn, 9 villagers were reported were dead. Three other local farmers were killed on their fields early Saturday morning. Several others sustained bullet wounds and were taken to Vom Christian Hospital for treatment.
A resident, who asked not to be named for safety reasons, said the attack lasted several hours. “They came from the direction of the hills. We heard gunfire everywhere. People were running into the bushes,” he said. “By morning, we counted nine bodies, including a mother and her two children.”
Kwi lies near the border with Barkin Ladi in Plateau State, an area that has experienced repeated village massacres by Fulani Ethnic Militia related to disputes over land, grazing routes, and community boundaries. Local villagers are not known to mount armed attacks against sleeping Fulani villages, yet if armed Fulani invaders are killed by community guards using homemade shotguns, the authorities describe the incident as a “communal clash.”
Community leaders in Riyom told TruthNigeria that despite multiple security checkpoints on the Jos–Riyom highway, attackers continue to operate with impunity in surrounding villages.
Government Response
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Plateau nor Kaduna State Government had issued an official statement regarding the attacks.
Security officials contacted by TruthNigeria confirmed receiving reports from both locations but declined to provide further details pending ongoing investigations. Police authorities in Jos said reinforcements had been deployed to Riyom and adjoining areas.
The Plateau–Kaduna corridor, part of Nigeria’s ethnically diverse Middle Belt region, has witnessed years of communal bloodshed which government spokesmen have often linked to disputes between predominantly Christian farming communities and Muslim Fulani herders.
While the clashes are sometimes described as farmer–herder conflicts, Christian community leaders argue that the violence is intended to disperse longtime residents professing Christianity with new arrivals holding to Islam.
In Riyom and neighboring Barkin Ladi alone, hundreds of residents have been displaced since 2021 following similar attacks. In March 2025, eight people were killed in Wereng village under similar circumstances, and in August, gunmen raided Rim, leaving several homes destroyed.
Kaduna State, particularly the southern region around Kauru and Zangon Kataf, has also seen a surge in coordinated assaults on Christian-majority communities. Humanitarian groups estimate that more than 500 people have been killed across southern Kaduna in the past two years.
Lawrence Zongo is a Human Rights Defender and Campaigner, A conflict Reporter for TruthNigeria.
