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Irigwe Folks of Plateau State Cry Out: Over 1,100 Killed, 27,000 Farms Destroyed in Endless Violent Assaults Since 2001
Jos, Nigeria – The Irigwe ethnic group in Plateau State is going through a humanitarian and financial disaster of devastating proportions, as persistent violence has claimed over 1,107 lives and led to the destruction of 27,330 farmlands, in keeping with the Irigwe Conventional Council.
In a press assertion launched in Jos and signed by Daniel Gya, President of the Irigwe Conventional Council, Danjuma Auta, Basic Secretary, and Samuel Jugo David, Public Relations Officer, the neighborhood revealed that since 2001, its individuals have been underneath fixed risk on account of terrorist assaults, land encroachment, and lethal ambushes—primarily by suspected armed herdsmen.
Recurring Violent Assaults Undermining Meals Safety and Rural Improvement
Regardless of the efforts of the Federal and Plateau State Governments, together with peace pacts and safety interventions, the violence has remained unabated. The latest assault, which occurred on April 2, 2025, claimed the lifetime of 33-year-old Dewi Terry Nah, who was fatally stabbed close to the Twin Hill Space between Jebbu-Miango and Miango City.
The Irigwe, who’re predominantly agrarian entrepreneurs residing in Kwall and Miango cities in Bassa and Jos North Native Authorities Areas, at the moment are going through financial collapse, widespread trauma, and meals insecurity.
An in depth research by Mr. Barrie, an impartial researcher, discovered that from 2001 to March 2025, there have been 2,866 violent incidents, leading to:
1,107 confirmed deaths
412 accidents
2 rape instances
20,836 residential rooms destroyed
742 barns razed
27,330 farmlands decimated
The Council emphasised that the majority survivors at the moment are trapped in excessive poverty, unable to fulfill their households’ fundamental dietary and housing wants.
Failure of Safety Infrastructure: 14 Killed in December 2024 Assault Regardless of Close by Checkpoint
The assertion cited a mass killing on December 22, 2024, in Ri Do (Gidan Ado), the place 14 individuals, together with a pregnant lady and a one-year-old child, had been massacred, even with a navy checkpoint in shut proximity. Two others had been critically injured in the identical assault.
Following this atrocity, Main Basic AE Abubakar, the then Basic Officer Commanding 3 Division of the Nigerian Military, visited the neighborhood and pledged that the attackers can be prosecuted, however no seen motion has been taken to this point.
Between January and March 2025, no less than 58 new assaults occurred, leading to:
Peace Efforts Undermined by Continued Violence and Lack of Political Will
The Irigwe Conventional Council revealed that regardless of a Peace Pact signed in 2022 and the institution of a Peace Implementation Committee in 2024, assaults have continued to escalate.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State had promised to ascertain a Cellular Police Barracks within the affected space to boost rural policing and neighborhood safety, however residents stay skeptical as a result of lack of tangible outcomes from earlier guarantees.
Name for Authorities Intervention to Stop Irreversible Lack of Ancestral Land
The Irigwe management issued a heartfelt enchantment to the Nigerian authorities, urging the Ministry of Inside, Nationwide Safety Adviser, Nigerian Police Drive, and Federal Ministry of Agriculture to behave swiftly. The Council warned that until pressing steps are taken, the neighborhood may be compelled to resort to self-defence, which may additional destabilize the area.
“If peace is just not restored quickly, our ancestral land and heritage shall be misplaced without end,” the Council lamented.
Additionally they referred to as for elevated safety funding, compensation for affected households, and the implementation of sustainable growth packages aimed toward rebuilding the devastated agricultural economic system.
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