Rights group condemns killings in Plateau, calls for govt intervention

The Movement for the Emancipation of Nigeria, MEN, has issued a powerful statement condemning the relentless violence plaguing Bokkos Local Government Area in Plateau State.

The group’s statement issued by Solomon Dalung, paints a grim picture of mass murder, ethnic cleansing, and what they described as the “targeted annihilation”; of innocent citizens, with the latest attacks between April 2 and 3, 2025, claiming over 60 lives.

The statement detailed the horrifying toll of the recent assaults on communities such as Mangor Tamiso, Daffo, Manguna, Hurti, Tadai, and Ruwi, saying that women, children, and the elderly were among the victims and their homes torched and lands desecrated by what MEN alleges are Fulani militias operating with genocidal intent.

The statement explained, “This is not random—it is systematic, coordinated, and genocidal.”

”MEN’s outrage is matched by its frustration with the Nigerian government and security agencies, whose “glaring silence and ineffectiveness”; have left the people of Bokkos defenseless. How many more mass graves must be dug before Nigeria acts”?

MEN accused the perpetrators of seeking the slow but deliberate erasure of indigenous Christian communities under the guise of farmer-herder conflicts.

The statement outlines a series of bold demands, including the immediate designation of the Fulani militias as terrorist organizations, the establishment of a special tribunal to investigate the killings, and the deployment of a permanent security task force to Bokkos.

MEN also called for the eviction of foreign mercenaries and land-grabbers and urged civil society, religious leaders, and youth movements to break their silence, lamenting that people abandoned by their government are a people who must rise to protect themselves.

MEN also praised the Butura Development Association for its solidarity with the grieving residents of Ruwi, calling it a beacon of the true Plateau spirit, emphasizing that the crisis transcends regional boundaries.

The statement called on the international community, human rights organizations and global watchdogs to document what MEN labels a genocide, saying, “Let the world know: Bokkos shall not bleed in vain.”