14 killed, including women, babies in Plateau market ambush

A wave of grief swept through Plateau State on Thursday, July 24, as gunmen suspected to be Fulani bandits ambushed a commercial vehicle returning from the weekly market in Bokkos, killing at least 14 people, including women and infants.

The deadly attack occurred along Chirang Road in the Mangor District of Bokkos Local Government Area (LGA), plunging the community into mourning and renewed fear.

According to eyewitness accounts, the victims had just concluded their business at the popular Bokkos market and were making their way home when the assailants, heavily armed and masked, laid siege to the road and opened fire indiscriminately.

“They blocked the road and just started shooting at everyone inside the vehicle,” said an eyewitness who spoke under condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. “Some died instantly, others were critically injured. It was like a war zone.”

Confirming the incident in an official statement on Friday, the Chairman of the Bokkos Cultural Development Forum (BCDF), Farmasum Fuddang, expressed outrage over the killings and described them as a brutal act of terrorism.

He lamented that the victims were harmless civilians who had only gone to the market to fend for their families.

“The victims were returning from the weekly market in Bokkos town when their vehicle was ambushed,” Fuddang stated.

“They included women and little babies. It’s shocking that despite numerous peace and reconciliation meetings aimed at resolving the persistent conflict between farming and herding communities in this region, such bloodshed continues unabated.”

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Fuddang accused Fulani militias of orchestrating the attack, stating pointedly that the armed groups were acting with a clear agenda to displace indigenous communities and seize control of Bokkos LGA, a region widely regarded as Nigeria’s “potato capital” due to its agricultural output.

“This violence occurs despite various so-called peace and reconciliation efforts,” he added. “It’s becoming clear that their intention is to overrun the entire local government.”

The attack is the latest in a string of violent incidents targeting rural communities in Plateau State, a region plagued by long-standing tensions between nomadic herders and farming populations. Residents say these attacks have become more frequent and deadlier in recent months, with many communities left feeling abandoned by security agencies.

As of the time of filing this report, security operatives were yet to issue an official statement on the incident, and no arrests had been made. The number of injured victims receiving treatment in local health facilities remains unknown.

Community leaders and human rights groups are calling on both federal and state governments to urgently intervene and ensure justice for the victims, as well as to provide better security for the region’s vulnerable populations