Plateau Govt Slams Army Over Failure To Arrest Killers Of 27 Farmers Near Checkpoints
The Plateau State Government has expressed strong disappointment over the military’s failure to arrest or neutralise attackers who killed 27 farmers in the Tahoss community of Riyom Local Government Area, despite the proximity of military checkpoints.
Commissioner for Information, Joyce Ramnap, speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday, said the attack took place just 200 metres from a military post.
She revealed that security agents admitted to making contact with the attackers but failed to make any arrest.
“The response we got was that none were arrested and none were captured,” Ramnap stated.
She questioned how such a massacre could happen so close to a checkpoint without intervention, stressing that the incident occurred near an access road guarded by the military.
“It is not a hidden community that we would say it is far, and that is why the people were not able to access help,” she said.
“We do not want to stereotype and say that the entire Army compromised in this case. However, there is room to do more investigation, and the governor specifically requested that at least they should have some form of arrest.
“If you are that close and you engaged them closely like that, you should be able to say this is where they followed and the measures to arrest them, but so far, no arrest has been made.”
She condemned the attack as unprovoked and despicable, saying the invaders not only killed but also destroyed crops on farmlands.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang, during a visit to the affected community on Wednesday, described the repeated killings by armed marauders as acts of genocide.
Ramnap said, “Like the governor has said, we have gallant soldiers in the country, we also have them within Plateau State that are making their efforts to ensure that there is peace on the Plateau, but of course, we still have the bad eggs among them.
“The attacks came from three different sides of the community. One side was able to contain them and ensure that nothing happened. The other side that was closest to the place where the people were hiding in the church, those were the ones that were worst hit, and that is why we got that number of casualties.
“The pastor of that church, at a point, said he would not stay there and wait for them to kill him as well. He left, and his wife followed him, and right in his house, six people were killed,” she added.
Plateau State has suffered a series of deadly attacks in recent months.
In April 2025, over 100 people were killed in coordinated raids on Bokkos and Bassa LGAs.
In December 2023, about 150 people were massacred in Bokkos on Christmas Eve.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
