Jos, Nigeria – April 8, 2025 — At least 52 people have been killed in a series of brutal attacks by unidentified gunmen on several communities in Plateau State, north-central Nigeria. The coordinated assault occurred over the weekend, leaving villages devastated and residents fleeing in fear.
The attackers, reportedly armed with sophisticated weapons, stormed remote farming communities, setting homes ablaze and shooting indiscriminately. Local officials confirmed the death toll on Monday, noting that the number could rise as more bodies are recovered from the surrounding bushes.
Plateau State, long a flashpoint of ethno-religious and herder-farmer conflicts, has seen a troubling resurgence of violence in recent months. These latest killings have sparked renewed calls for the Nigerian government to bolster security measures in rural areas, which often suffer from slow response times and limited law enforcement presence. 
Governor Caleb Mutfwang condemned the attacks as “barbaric and inhumane” and urged the federal government to deploy additional security forces to prevent further bloodshed. Survivors and humanitarian groups are calling for urgent assistance, with many displaced and left without shelter or basic necessities.
As Nigeria approaches another critical election cycle and struggles with widening insecurity, the Plateau massacre serves as a grim reminder of the urgent need for national peacebuilding and grassroots security reform. Without meaningful intervention, the cycle of violence threatens to deepen fault lines and destabilize communities already on edge.
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