Repeated Warnings to Military of Impending Attacks Went Unheeded
By Lawrence Zongo
Armed Fulani ethnic militias attacked Ngbra-Zongo (“Gah-bra Zongo”) village in Kwall District, Northwest of Jos, Plateau State capital in Bassa county in North Central Nigeria, the attack was shortly after midnight on May 8, killing 11 Christians, including pregnant women, children, and elderly residents, according to survivors and community leaders.
Residents said the attackers stormed the village around 12:20 a.m. during a cold, rainy night and moved from house to house shooting and hacking residents with machetes. Ten other victims survived gunshot wounds and machete injuries, including a pregnant woman receiving treatment at Enos Hospital in Miango.
The unprovoked attack on sleeping villagers Friday morning is the latest evidence of wanton bloodshed caused by Fulani ethnic militia in Plateau State, which the U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom today strongly condemned in a just-published whitepaper titled “Nonstate Violators of Religious Freedom in Nigeria: Fulani Militants.”
“In recent years, armed actors from a Fulani ethnic background have perpetrated some of the most notorious, visible, and deadly attacks on religious communities in Nigeria—often but not exclusively against Christians,” according to USCIRF.
Among those injured was in the Friday morning attack was Monday Francis, an irrigation farmer who joined community Watchmen, attempting to defend the community during the assault.
Speaking from his hospital bed at Enos Hospital, where he is being treated for a gunshot wounds, Francis told TruthNigeria that five local watchmen armed with shotguns confronted more than 10 heavily armed attackers.
“They shot my leg while we were securing our community,” Francis said.
He said there were no soldiers or police officers in the area when the attack began and alleged that Mobile Police arrived only after the attackers had left.
Francis also claimed he recognized some of the attackers and called on authorities to arrest those responsible.
“As a Christian, I forgive them, but the government must arrest them so that the killings will stop,” he said.
Hospital Overwhelmed by Casualties
The attack left local health workers struggling to care for the wounded at the rural hospital.
Dr. Abel Joseph of Enos Hospital said 11 casualties were brought to the facility following the attack, of which one died.
According to Joseph, the hospital lacks adequate equipment and resources to manage the growing number of victims arriving after repeated attacks in the area.
He said six patients are currently receiving treatment at the hospital, where doctors have already performed two surgeries on victims struggling with bullet wounds.
Joseph appealed to government agencies, humanitarian organizations, and private individuals to support the hospital with medical supplies, equipment, and financial assistance.
The hospital has continued treating victims of attacks in surrounding communities for nearly five years despite unpaid medical bills and limited outside support, according to Joseph. Recently, Equipping the Persecuted, a nonprofit that sponsors TruthNigeria.com has been paying medical bills, he added.
“Sometimes we treat patients without receiving any support from anybody,” Joseph said. “But Equipping the Persecuted is doing a lot despite I don’t know them”
Community Leaders Accuse Security Forces
Lawrence Zongo TruthNigeria.
The killings were launched just hours after community representatives participated in a media conference on insecurity in Plateau State organized by New Central TV.
Speaking after the attack, Ezekiel Bini, leader of the Rigwe tribal group that represents all residents of Bassa County, said residents had repeatedly warned authorities about worsening insecurity in the area.
“We have been saying that there is a high influence of terrorists in this state, but the government is not doing anything about it,” Bini said.
He said communities in Plateau State have endured repeated attacks for years despite appeals for intervention and warned that residents will be obliged to defend themselves, if the violence continues unchecked.
“We cannot continue to die like cowards,” he said.
The National Secretary of the Rigwe Development Association, Danjuma Auta, criticized Operation Enduring Peace and other security agencies for failing to prevent repeated attacks on rural communities.
“If not for the negligence of Operation Enduring Peace, this would not have happened,” Auta said.
He questioned the effectiveness of security personnel stationed in the area, noting that communities continue to suffer attacks despite military deployments across Plateau State.
Residents buried the victims in a mass grave as grieving families gathered in the community following the killings.
Auta called on the federal government to deploy improved surveillance and tracking technology to identify and arrest those responsible for the attack.
Women Describe Growing Fear
Mary Phar, National Leader of the Rigwe Women Association, said women and children are carrying the heaviest burden of the violence.
“We are suffering, our children are suffering, and enough is enough,” Phar said.
She said repeated attacks have left many women widowed and families displaced while communities continue holding security meetings without seeing improvements.
Rev. Daniel Gya, National President of the Rigwe Development Association, described the violence as part of a broader pattern of attacks targeting Christian farming communities in Rigwe land.
Attacks have escalated since December when armed groups allegedly destroyed farmlands and occupied parts of the community territory, according to Gya.
“They come in the evening, hide in the creeks and attack vulnerable communities,” Gya said.
He also alleged that worshippers were attacked during Christmas celebrations in previous incidents.
“There is no peace anywhere anymore,” he added. Gya said the attack is Genocide against Christians and land grabbing.
Police Commander Calls for Intelligence Sharing
Elisha Aktimpa, Commander of the Mobile Police Force in Rigwe Chiefdom, condemned the killings and urged residents to cooperate more closely with security agencies.
He assured residents that efforts are underway to identify and arrest the attackers.
Aktimpa also urged community members to report suspicious movements quickly, saying security personnel cannot always monitor every location.
The latest attack adds to a series of deadly assaults reported across Plateau State in recent months, where rural farming communities have faced repeated nighttime raids, killings, crop destruction, and displacement.
Lawrence Zongo is a Conflict Reporter for TruthNigeria.
