2022 Plateau State massacres
| 2022 Plateau State massacres | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Nigerian bandit conflict | |
 | |
| Location | Kanam and Wase, Plateau State, Nigeria |
| Coordinates | 9°18′N 10°00′E / 9.3°N 10°E |
| Date | April 10, 2022 |
Attack type | Mass shooting, mass kidnapping, arson |
| Weapons | Assault rifles, machine guns |
| Deaths | 150+ |
| Perpetrators | Fulani bandits from Kaduna State |
| Motive | Herder–farmer conflict |
On 10 April 2022, a bandit gang killed over 150 people in a series of attacks in Plateau State, Nigeria, linked to the Nigerian bandit conflict. About 70 people were kidnapped in the attacks.[1]
Background
Nigeria is badly affected by several low-intensity conflicts. These include the Boko Haram insurgency, which began in 2009 and the Nigerian bandit conflict, which began in 2011.
In the early 2020s, bandit attacks increased. The week before the attack, bandits carried out a major attack on a military base in Kaduna State, killing 15 soldiers.[2] An attack on a harvest festival that week killed 17.[3]
The day of the attack, bandits killed 15 people in an unrelated incident. The massacre happened in a village in Chikun, Kaduna State. Local community leader Isiaku Madaki, who had been installed less than a day before, was among the dead.[4]
Attack
On the afternoon of 10 April 2022, a bandit gang, believed to be Fulani herdsmen,[5] attacked nine villages in Plateau State.[6][2] All the villages were in the Kanam and Wase local government areas.[7] Gunmen killed at least 150 people and kidnapped about 70 others.[6][2] They also torched and looted houses during the rampage.[6][2][1]
Victims who died in the attacks were buried in mass graves in Kanam.[7]
While Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari vowed that there will be "no mercy" for the perpetrators of these attacks, leaders of the local communities called for his resignation for his failure in maintaining order and security.[1]
Casualties
Initial reports and authorities said that at least 50 had been killed. Witnesses told the Associated Press that the death toll was over 100, with others placing the estimate as high as at least 130.[5] On 11 April, Voice of America stated at least 70 had been slain.[3] Vanguard reported at least 78 people had been killed in Kanam and 15 others in Chikun during the attacks.[4]
References
- ^ a b c Carter, Sarah. "Nigeria leader vows "no mercy" for gunmen behind massacre that left more than 150 dead in country's north". www.cbsnews.com.
- ^ a b c d Dzirutwe, MacDonald (2022-04-11). "Gunmen attack kills at least 50 in Nigeria's Plateau state". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
- ^ a b Obiezu, Timothy. "Police Deploy to Villages in Nigeria's Plateau State After Attacks Kill 70". VOA. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
- ^ a b Nanlong, Marie-Therese; Hassan-Wuyo, Ibrahim; Abubakar, Shina (2022-04-12). "94 killed by terrorists, assassins in Plateau, Kaduna, Osun within 24 hrs". Vanguard News. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
- ^ a b Asadu, Chinedu (2022-04-12). "Gunmen kill more than 100 in Nigeria's north, say survivors". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
- ^ a b c "Nigeria: Gunmen attack kills at least 50 in Plateau state". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
- ^ a b "Victims Of Plateau Attacks Buried In Mass Grave". Channels Television. Retrieved 2022-04-12.