By Palang Paul
A fresh wave of deadly violence has rocked Bokkos Local Government Area in Plateau State, leaving at least seven people dead and several others injured after armed assailants attacked Kopmur village in the Mushere district late on May 26. The latest attack adds to a disturbing pattern of night-time raids that have engulfed the region in bloodshed over the past weeks.
Eyewitnesses says Fulani militants on motorcycles stormed Kopmur around 8:00 PM, setting homes ablaze and shooting indiscriminately. Within 24 hours, nine people were confirmed dead across four villages—Kopmur, Mbor, Ikngwaghap, and Margif, with dozens displaced and entire households now homeless.
This onslaught comes just two days after the brutal killing of a local pastor in Kwakas and the murder of an 18-year-old boy near Butura Dairy Farm. Local sources report that the boy, a student, was attacked while returning from an errand in what residents believe to be an attempt to instill fear and trigger further displacement.
Security presence remains weak. Operation Safe Haven, the joint military task force deployed in Plateau, was reportedly alerted during the attack. However, residents say soldiers withdrew from the area prematurely. Lt. Col. Dauda Magems, the commander of the task force, confirmed the alert but referenced ongoing civil unrest and logistical constraints.
“This is no longer random violence,” said Samuel Amalau, Chairman of Bokkos Local Government. “It is coordinated. Our people are being targeted deliberately, especially in the dead of night when they are most vulnerable.”
Tribal leaders and conflict analysts, including Farmasum Fuddang, say the attacks appear linked to a long-term ethnic displacement strategy fueled by land-grabbing ambitions. They warn that without immediate federal intervention, the crisis could escalate into a broader ethno-religious conflict with national implications.
Bokkos has seen more than 60 people killed early 2025 in similar night-time assaults, especially in remote, agrarian communities like Manguna,Daffo,Mbar and Hurti.
Many survivors recount fleeing into surrounding forests while attackers torched their homes and farmlands.
The Mushere community, like many others in Bokkos, is calling for an urgent military surge and humanitarian aid. “We are dying in silence,” said one community elder. “If nothing is done now, there may be nothing left of our people tomorrow.”
As the death toll rises and displaced persons mount, the people of Bokkos are left to wonder: How many more must die before the nation truly listens.
