2022 Plateau State massacres

Coordinates: 9°18′N 10°00′E / 9.3°N 10°E / 9.3; 10
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2022 Plateau State massacres
Part of the Nigerian bandit conflict
LocationKanam and Wase, Plateau State, Nigeria
Coordinates9°18′N 10°00′E / 9.3°N 10°E / 9.3; 10
DateApril 10, 2022 (2022-04-10)
Attack type
Mass shooting, mass kidnapping, arson
WeaponsAssault rifles, machine guns
Deaths150+
PerpetratorsFulani bandits from Kaduna State
MotiveHerder–farmer conflict

On 10 April 2022, a gang of bandits killed more than 150 people in a series of attacks in Plateau State, Nigeria. The attacks are linked to the ongoing Nigerian bandit conflict. About 70 people were also kidnapped in the attacks.[1]

Background[edit]

Main article: Nigerian bandit conflict
Nigerian bandits in 2021, with typical dress and weaponry

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.[2]

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.[3] An attack on a harvest festival that week killed 17.[4] A few weeks before, an attack on a train heading to Kaduna killed upwards of 60 passengers.[5]

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.[6]

Attack[edit]

On the afternoon of 10 April 2022, a bandit gang, believed to be Fulani herdsmen,[7] attacked nine villages in Plateau State.[8][3] All the villages were in the Kanam and Wase local government areas.[9] Gunmen killed at least 50 people and kidnapped about 70 others.[8][3] They also torched and looted houses during the rampage.[8][3][1]

Victims who died in the attacks were buried in mass graves in Kanam.[9]

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 to maintain order and security.[1]

Casualties[edit]

Initial reports and authorities said that at least 50 had been killed. Witnesses told the Associated Press that the death toll was more than 100, with others placing the estimate as high as at least 130.[7] On 11 April, Voice of America stated at least 70 had been slain.[4] Vanguard reported at least 78 people had been killed in Kanam and 15 others in Chikun during the attacks.[6]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Carter, Sarah. "Nigeria leader vows "no mercy" for gunmen behind massacre that left more than 150 dead in country's north". CBS.
  2. ^ "Peace talks bring fragile truce in Nigeria 'bandit' conflict". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d Dzirutwe, MacDonald (11 April 2022). "Gunmen attack kills at least 50 in Nigeria's Plateau state". Reuters. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  4. ^ a b Obiezu, Timothy. "Police Deploy to Villages in Nigeria's Plateau State After Attacks Kill 70". Voice of America. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  5. ^ Abe, Bankole (29 March 2022). "Train attack: Number of persons feared dead rises as Tinubu says 60 were killed". International Centre for Investigative Reporting. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  6. ^ a b Nanlong, Marie-Therese; Hassan-Wuyo, Ibrahim; Abubakar, Shina (12 April 2022). "94 killed by terrorists, assassins in Plateau, Kaduna, Osun within 24 hrs". Vanguard News. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  7. ^ a b Asadu, Chinedu (12 April 2022). "Gunmen kill more than 100 in Nigeria's north, say survivors". Associated Press. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  8. ^ a b c "Nigeria: Gunmen attack kills at least 50 in Plateau state". Al Jazeera. 12 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Victims Of Plateau Attacks Buried In Mass Grave". Channels Television. 12 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
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