Kwara, Plateau reel from fresh insecurity attacks

Nigeria’s fragile security landscape is fracturing along familiar fault lines, as both Plateau and Kwara states grapple with the resurgence of violence and abduction. From twin kidnapping events in Oyo and Borno states, rural communities in the Middle Belt are once again paying the ultimate price for unchecked criminality, shattering temporary illusions of peace.

The shattered calm in Plateau

For nearly two weeks, a rare and welcome silence settled over Plateau State. As political parties across Nigeria conducted their primary elections, politicians and party faithful were entirely consumed by campaigns, consultations, and internal voting. In a state that has endured nearly two decades of recurring displacement and bloodshed, this political preoccupation offered residents a brief, precious respite.

But the peace was entirely transactional. The moment the primaries concluded, the fragile calm vanished, replaced by a fresh wave of coordinated attacks in the Riyom and Barkin Ladi local government areas. For residents, the timing of the renewed violence validates a troubling suspicion: that the killers merely paused their campaigns while the politicians conducted theirs.

The Berom Youth Moulders-Association (BYM) quickly condemned the resurgence, pointing to a systematic assault on both human lives and local livelihoods. In Rim Village, Riyom LGA, 52-year-old Joshua Bulus was ambushed and killed by armed men who were reportedly grazing cattle just meters from the community.

“BYM strongly condemns the continued killings, attacks, destruction of farmlands, sexual harassment of women, and cattle rustling across communities in Riyom and Barkin Ladi Local Government Areas of Plateau State,” a statement signed by Rwang Tengwong, its National Publicity Secretary, and made available to journalists in Jos read.

“The latest incident is the killing of 52-year-old Joshua Bulus of Dyan community in Rim Village, Riyom LGA, who was attacked and killed by armed terrorists, reportedly grazing cattle a few metres away from the community.

“Also disturbing is the overnight destruction of about-to-be-harvested cabbage and carrot farms covering about five hectares in the Gassa community of Ropp District, Barkin Ladi LGA,” it added.

In farming communities across Plateau, an attack on the soil is as devastating as a bullet. Overnight, attackers destroyed five hectares of ready-to-harvest cabbage and carrot farms in the Gassa community, wiping out months of sweat and financial investment.

Days prior, a similarly ruthless raid targeted a birthday celebration in Gwon-Ajang village. Gunmen stormed the peaceful gathering at 10 p.m., opening fire indiscriminately on terrified villagers. While community sources and the BYM reported at least eight dead and ten severely injured, the Plateau State Police Command, through spokesperson Alfred Alabo, confirmed five fatalities, noting that joint operations under Operation Enduring Peace are underway to hunt down the perpetrators.

These atrocities occurred despite recent security assurances from Governor Caleb Mutfwang, leaving residents to wonder if state interventions will ever amount to more than routine condolences.

Tragedy in the Kwara forests

While Plateau buries its dead from sudden raids, families in Kwara State are mourning an agonising, slow-motion tragedy. Five worshippers abducted from the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Omugo, Ifelodun LGA, have died in captivity after spending more than three months in the custody of heavily armed kidnappers.

The victims were part of a group of eight people seized during a violent raid on the church on March 22, 2026. Among those who perished in the forest was Rachel Oluwaremilekun, the wife of the church’s pastor, alongside community leaders Moses Pariola, Joseph Ibitoye, Iyabo Aniyi, and church elder Joshua Akanbi.

The horrifying details of their final days emerged through Sunday Bakare, a captive who managed to escape the den after a month in isolation. Bakare recounted a nightmare of severe hunger, exposure, and deliberate medical neglect. Many of the older captives suffered from chronic health conditions and depended heavily on daily medication. Despite desperate pleas from their families, the abductors withheld their drugs, watching their health deteriorate day by day as ransom negotiations dragged on.

“The condition of some of the victims deteriorated because they could not access their medications. Their health worsened day after day while negotiations dragged on,” he reportedly told community leaders after regaining freedom.

The financial extortion behind the tragedy highlights the sheer ruthlessness of the criminal enterprise. The kidnappers initially demanded an astronomical N1 billion ransom, later dropping their demands to N150 million. Through community contributions and church fundraising, desperate families managed to scrape together N20 million, delivering the cash along with food supplies and the requested medical drugs. Yet, the kidnappers took the money, kept the drugs, and left the captives to die.

Security experts note that this tragedy is part of a larger, systemic shift. Criminal gangs displaced by military operations in the North-West and other parts of the North-Central region have increasingly weaponised the vast, unpoliced forests spanning Ifelodun, Edu, and Patigi LGAs—corridors that seamlessly bleed into Kogi and Niger states.

A grim reality

The compounding crises in Kwara and Plateau underscore the immense human cost of Nigeria’s ongoing security challenges. In the Middle Belt, the local agricultural economy is being systematically choked out, forcing community leaders to advise emerging generations to abandon their reliance on rural stability and seek alternative lifelines. In the West, religious sanctuaries and remote settlements have become soft targets for opportunistic syndicates.