Over 100 people have lost their lives in a fresh wave of violent clashes and bloodshed in Nigeria recently. Most of the victims were Christians. The attack took place in Plateau State, located in the middle of the country. On April 14, 2025, gunmen attacked Zike village in Bassa Local Government Area and opened fire on unsuspecting people. Most of the victims were fast asleep when the attack took place. The suddenness of the attack left them completely helpless and they had little chance of survival.
Local leaders say the attackers were suspected Fulani herders, who were heavily armed and roamed freely across state borders at night under the cover of darkness. The herders have been clashing violently with nearby farmers for the past several years, apparently over some bitter disputes. Originally the fighting was over farmland and grazing land, but now it has somehow taken on a religious colour.
Most of the farmers in the region follow Christianity, while a large number of herders follow Islam. Tensions have run high and violence has escalated sharply amid growing instability. Villagers in Zike and other nearby settlements believe the brutal attack lasted for eternity. Homes were completely burned down in the fire that raged for several days and many families lost everything. Survivors are now homeless and fear another brutal attack.
People are nowadays demanding government protection, saying they no longer feel completely safe in the different situations they face on a daily basis. More than 75 members of the local Christian community have been brutally murdered in a shocking series of violent attacks since December 2024. Human rights groups have nowadays appealed to Nigerian government officials and other stakeholders to act quickly and with great urgency.
Allegedly innocent people are paying a heavy price for government inaction amid the crisis and bureaucratic red tape that is now very slowly entangling everything. President Bola Tinubu vowed to investigate the violent attacks and somehow catch the perpetrators very quickly. Local communities are skeptical and say they have heard such tall promises before but they have yielded negligible results and no concrete outcome.
Sporadic violence is flaring up in Plateau State while Boko Haram is carrying out brutal attacks elsewhere in northern Nigeria, spreading fear and deep suffering. Nigerians are making passionate pleas to the authorities for justice and security amid rising deaths in chaotic turbulent conditions.
