While we appreciate governments’ efforts, both at Federal and State levels, to restore peace in the country, we regret to bring to the notice of the general public that killings have continued persistently in our communities.
On Wednesday, the 2nd of April 2025, one Mr. Dewi Terry Nah, a 33-year-old Rigwe man, was stabbed to death around the Twin Hill (Gyu) area, located between Jebbu-Miango and Miango town, at about 2 pm. The circumstances that led to this ugly incident are still fuzzy as investigations are still ongoing.
The Rigwe nation, predominantly found in Kwall and Miango towns, Bassa and Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, and Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, North Central Nigeria, has been in the news lately for the wrong reasons.
The indigenes are mostly agrarian and also versatile in other trades and artistry on the Plateau, especially in the construction industry, engineering, and commerce, to mention a few. In the wake of 2001, a day that started as a peaceful one was greeted by sad news at the gruesome murder of a prominent elder Nggwe Vichi Goji and three other family members by suspected Fulani herders that were resident in the area.
Following this unfortunate incident, the resident Fulanis started to migrate elsewhere for reasons best known to them. The Irigwe chiefdom has since then not known absolute peace in its truest sense to date. Several interventions have been made to restore peace in the land, but the closer we get to it, the more it eludes us as a tribe.
Evidence gathered from eyewitnesses collected on the various scenes shows that herders are largely responsible for these crimes. In the beginning, these attacks where in the form of ambushes, destructions of farm crops, rape of women and girls on their way to farms or in search of firewood in the wild. It metamorphosed into attacks with firearms. Beginning from January 2025, all the killings to date were largely by ambushes on unsuspecting passersby.
There have been unconfirmed speculations and reports of alien herders, but most residents would doubt if they could have a mastery of the land without the collaboration of Fulanis that resided in the area as their guide in meandering the local turf. The absence of Rigwe resident herders in Rigweland has further exacerbated the problem and added salt to the wound as it is believed that if the reverse were the case, they would help locals in identifying invaders and criminal elements that are causing unease among locals.
As recently as the 22nd of December 2024, about 14 Rigwe residents of Ri Do (Gidan Ado) were massacred before midnight despite the presence of a security checkpoint less than 200 meters from the epicenter of the attacks. Reports from residents in the vicinity indicate that gunshots were heard echoing in the night sky as early as 8 pm and before the wee hours of the next day. 14 people were left dead and two injured – one severely.
Those killed were: Dauda Arabo – 48 years, Hassana Wula – 52 years, Basuna Moses – 22 years, Faith Basuna – 19 years, Laraba Randi -18 years, Danlami Gado – 50 years, Moses Yakubu – 48 years, Azumi Moses – 13 years, Talatu Hassan – 42 years, Chama Ernest – 20 years, Agumo Monday – 20 years, Sheba Ernest – 1 year, Mary Stephen – 33 years and Isere Moses – 35 years. Among the dead were a pregnant mother and a one-year-old toddler.
Linda Moses, who was severely injured, was hospitalized at the Jos University Teaching Hospital for serious injuries sustained in the course of the attacks. The most pathetic is the tale of a family that lost 5 members in the incident. On hearing about the incident, the General Officer Commanding 3 Division and Commander, Operation Safe Haven, Maj. Gen. AE Abubakar, rushed to the scene to calm the situation and condole grieving family and community members, promising to do all within his ability to bring the culprits to face justice. Until date, all hope is not lost as hurting family members await the outcome of ongoing investigations and the fulfillment of this promise.
This major setback to ongoing efforts at lasting peace to Rigweland came three (3) days to the Yuletide. The wanton destruction of farm crops is a tale as devastating as the above. Unprovoked assaults of innocent farmers tending their farms to malicious destruction of unharvested farmlands persisted without restraint despite the relentless efforts of security agents located within Rigweland.
The Rigwe Traditional Council initiated the set-up of a 16-man committee on the 28th of January 2021 with the sole aim of exploring causes of conflict between herders and farmers in Rigweland and possible solutions to them. The committee developed a 17-point guideline which it believes, if strictly adhered to, would ameliorate the precarious relations between the Rigwes (known to be the aboriginal owners of the chiefdom) and their Fulanis neighbours.
The Peace Pact was eventually brokered and signed on 13th July, 2022 and witnessed by the paramount ruler of Rigweland, the Brra Nggwe Rigwe, Rev. Ronku Aka, rtd, the Ardo of Bassa, The Commander, Operation Safe Haven, Plateau Initiative for the Development and Advancement of the Natives (PIDAN), Chairman, MACBAN, President, Irigwe Development Association (IDA), Interfaith Mediation Centre (IMC), Kaduna State Peace Commission, Dialogue, Reconciliation and Peace Centre (DREP) and the representative of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP).
This milestone achievement led to the formation of the 17-Man Peace Implementation Committee for Irigwe Chiefdom in May 2024 by the erstwhile GOC 3 Division/ Commander, Operation Safe Haven, Maj. Gen. AE Abubakar and saddled with the responsibility of implementing the 17-point agreement hitherto signed. Despite these efforts by concerned stakeholders, sporadic and intermittent skirmishes have continued to be recorded. Beginning from the 1st January to the 28th March 2025, a total of 58 incidents, 8 deaths, 8 injuries, and more than 50 farm destructions were recorded, as compiled by Mr. Gastor Barrie.
According to research conducted by Mr. Barrie, from 2001 to March 2025, a total of 2,866 incidents, 1,107 deaths, 412 injuries, 2 rapes, 20,836 rooms destroyed, 742 barns and 27,330 farms were recorded. Most of the victims are languishing in abject poverty, unable to fend for their families at the time of this report.
The Irigwe Development Association recently made a passionate appeal to the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Emmanuel Adesina, to establish a Nigeria Police Force Division in Miango to help stem the tide of insecurity in the land. The Plateau State Government ably led the by the amiable governor of the people, Barr Caleb M. Mutfwang, deeply disturbed by the state of insecurity in the land visited Irigwe Chiefdom on the 27th January, 2025 on an assessment tour and promised to establish a Mobile Police Barracks at Zashi, Kwall, to further bolster ongoing efforts at lasting peace in the area and Plateau State at large.
To think that these attacks and killings have continued despite a peace pact and ongoing efforts by the peace committee is most worrisome as it makes rubbish the wisdom of all the stakeholders that brokered these avenues.
The traditional council of Rigweland and the Irigwe Development Association (IDA) use this medium to appeal to relevant authorities to come to its aid to prevent the Rigwe nation from extinction and its source of livelihood totally obliterated by its enemies.
The Rigwe nation is law-abiding and believes in the peaceful coexistence of all nations, tribes, creeds, and religions, and pleads with all stakeholders in the peace process to come together and ensure these.
This is not the first time we are making this form of appeal and raising concerns over the continuous carnage on our land. We have continued to lose our loved ones in guerella style attacks by assailants whom many have been afraid to name.
We are therefore by this release once more calling on relevant security agencies, the Federal and Plateau State governments to match their words with action in halting this barberism in our land so our people can enjoy peace in their God given land. We fear if this situation continues unabated, the people would be left with no choice but to resort to self help.
Long live Irigwe Chiefdom!
Long live Plateau State!!
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
Rev. Daniel Gya, PhD, Amb. Danjuma Auta Samuel Jugo David President, General Secretary and Public Relations Officer