For years, the crises in Plateau State have continued to take the lives of thousands of people in various communities despite efforts by different authorities to end the menace.
The latest crisis occurred on Sunday after an attack on the Anguwan Rukuba community of Jos Local Government Area, where 28 people were confirmed killed by suspected gunmen. The gunmen reportedly invaded the community around 7:30pm and started shooting indiscriminately, after which they fled, leaving destruction, pain, trauma and tears behind.
Following the attack, some youths reportedly blocked roads and attacked passersby in revenge, killing some people. The situation prompted the government to impose a 24-hour curfew to ease tension. Relaxation of the curfew led to another bout of violence between members of warring communities, resulting in the death of many residents.
Weekend Trust recalls that successive governments repeatedly made various efforts to end the conflict to no avail. Various committees were also set up to prevent further bloodshed, but they were unsuccessful.
Last year, Governor Caleb Mutfwang set up a committee chaired by General Nicholas Rogers (retd) to investigate the root causes of the crises and recommend solutions.
In its report, the committee disclosed that 11,000 people were killed in the last two decades.
Why the crises continue
Various committees and security experts have expressed various opinions on why the crises have continued to rage despite many efforts to put an end to it.
Dr Yahuza Getso, a security expert and managing director of Eagle Integrated Security and Logistics Company, as well as the national deputy director, operations, Vigilante Group of Nigeria, said various factors were contributing to the prolonged crises in the state.
“There are many reasons for this development. One is complicity. The government fails to take decisive measures against those who are found to be responsible for the atrocities. There are issues around government’s inability to address the related issues of accountability mechanisms. The general public itself is not really supporting the system in terms of providing the right information on how the government could do the needful,” Getso said.
According to him, it is deceptive for people to turn issues into a religious conflict. He added: “We are living in denial. We cannot survive without one another. It is in Plateau, Benue, Adamawa, Taraba and other densely populated Christian states that you will find that one family has a combination of siblings that are Muslims and Christians. Why are we deceiving ourselves? Why are we always accusing each other when something happens? That will never take us to the Promised Land
“I don’t believe we are taking things seriously. If we continue this way we will continue to deceive ourselves. Political elites are taking advantage of these grievances and fueling most of this problem. Until and unless Muslims and Christians hold the elite responsible for what is happening, we will continue to have problems. Nigeria is a circular state. It is not for a particular religion.”
Shedding light on the underlying issues fueling the crises, Dr Sesan Peter, a lecturer at the Centre for Conflict Management and Peace Studies, University of Jos, said, “People have entered into drug abuse and it has already destroyed their thinking. They don’t listen to their parents. They are roaming the streets, idle and vulnerable to manipulation. Parents and religious leaders haven’t played their role, and that’s why the youth don’t listen to them.
“The breakdown of social structures and values has created a vacuum, which is making it easy for social vices to thrive. If we don’t address these root causes, the cycle of violence will continue.”
The General Rogers committee, which was set up by Governor Mutfwang in 2025 to investigate the root cause of the various crises, before the commencement of investigation, told Weekend Trust that the crises in Plateau were political. Getso had said: “The truth is that religion has nothing to do with what is happening in Plateau. It is purely political, but people introduce religious sentiments to manipulate the situation.
“We also face the settler-indigene problem and the issue of open grazing. When people settle in a place they must respect local customs and traditions, and vice versa. Problems arise when some groups try to dominate others. For example, if I were Igbo and I came to Anguwan Rukuba in Plateau and try to assert authority, people will resist. Just do your business and live in peace. This land belongs to all of us. There’s enough space and resources for everyone.
“Why the killings? One person is killed and another launches a reprisal. That phrase, ‘reprisal attack’ has become common in Plateau. It shouldn’t be so. We have elders who can mediate. Let’s learn to forgive and forget.
“If we truly follow our religions, we will show love. That’s what matters—loving your neighbour as yourself. I grew up in an Islamic environment. I attended Islamic school, and our community respected our local Malam, who acted like a moral compass for children.
“But things have changed. Today, if you caution someone’s child, their parents challenge you. We have lost that sense of communal discipline and love. We must return to those values.
“I speak Hausa and Yoruba although I am not from those ethnic groups; I interacted with people. Let’s rebuild that sense of unity. Wealth won’t save us; only peace will.”
Gabriel Gyang, a resident of Dorowa Babuje in Barkin Ladi said, “The crises have continued because of continuous retaliation. Whoever is attacked must seek revenge. If people forgot the past, things would have been better. It is a cycle of violence that never ends. We need people to come together and forgive one another; only then can we have peace in this community.”
Nibras Usman, a resident of Jos North, expressed frustration at government’s approach to resolving the crises. He said, “Relevant authorities have since failed to uncover the root cause of the crises and work on a solution. That is why we found ourselves where we are now. The government keeps addressing symptoms, not the disease. Until they tackle the underlying issues, the violence will continue. It is time for a new approach, one that involves the community and religious leaders and addresses the real causes of the conflict.”
Benjamin Joseph, a resident of Anguwan Rukuba believes the government is failing to empower locals to secure their communities. He said, “The crises have continued because the government has refused to empower residents to take charge of the security of their communities. Those who attack communities come with guns; so if we are equipped adequately we will bring peace to our areas. We have the manpower but we lack the means to defend ourselves. It is time the government trusted us to protect our communities.”
But Bashir Shua’abu said, “The conflict is mostly not created by the residents of Plateau but people from outside the state. I believe the conflict has continued because of outsiders. They are purposely doing that to always ignite crisis between Christians and Muslims. “
Job Daniel, a resident of Bokkos Local Government Area, believes the crises have persisted due to lack of accountability. He said, “It keeps happening because the perpetrators are not brought to justice. That is why people use that advantage to justify violence. There is no deterrent, so the attacks continue. We need to hold those responsible accountable, maybe we would see an end to this violence. The cycle of impunity must be broken.”
The ethno-religious violence in Plateau State dates back to September 2001 when disagreement erupted between Christians and Muslims in Jos, the state capital. The crisis, which started as a dispute, subsequently escalated into a full-blown religious conflict, leaving hundreds dead and many more displaced.
This marked the beginning of a cycle of violence and mistrust between Christian and Muslim communities. Since then, tensions have simmered, with accusations and counter-accusations flying between both groups whenever trouble erupts in the state.
The mistrust often leads people to point fingers at each other whenever something goes wrong. For example, whenever a Muslim is killed, Christians are often labelled as the perpetrators. The same thing happens if a Christian is killed or attacked. Religion is always the first thing mentioned before investigating who was involved and how the incident occurred. Weekedn Trust gathered.
This situation has forced residents to live in areas where they are in the majority in terms of faith. In other words, residential areas are divided into Christian and Muslim communities.
The violence subsequently spread to rural communities, resulting in deaths and destruction of property.
How to end the violence
Proffering solutions, Dr Getso said that for peace to prevail, the government and other relevant institutions must be sincere in their approaches. He said, “The solution is that the government must get the culprits and deal with them accordingly. Government must conduct a lot of sensitisation and media engagements, use community-driven strategy to sensitise the youth and ensure social justice. People must hold their leaders accountable for the responsibility given to them. Traditional and religious leaders must rise to their responsibilities.”
For Dr Sesan, for peaceful coexistence to take place, especially in the affected communities, there must be a clear, holistic approach involving families, parents, religious leaders, the government, among others. He pointed out that families, which are key in finding solutions to the problems, must begin to offer positive orientation to their children. He added that community leaders, being part of the environment where these children grow, must conduct international orientation sensitisation on the negative impacts of various crimes.
The peace manager also suggested that religious leaders must preach peace to families and communities and ensure that everyone is carried along so that the children can live their lives. He further said the government and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) must scale up their sensitisation efforts.