Plateau: About 12,000 killed, 420 communities attacked in 25 years – Gov Mutfwang tells Senate Committee

Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State has revealed thatabout 420 communities were attacked, with nearly 12,000 lives lost andcountless livelihoods destroyed between 2001 and May 2025. He, however, said it was time to stop pointing fingers orcomparing who has lost more lives across religious and ethnic divides, saying,“It is time to join hands and unite.” Mutfwang stated this on Thursday while declaring open theNorth Central Zonal Public Hearing on National Security, organised by theSenate Ad-hoc Committee, tagged: National Security Summit, in Jos, the PlateauState capital. He said, “The public hearing of the Senate Committee onNational Security could not have come at a better time than now, given theongoing national conversation on the unacceptable levels of insecurity in ourgreat country.” According to him, “We in Plateau State have had our fairshare of these terrible occurrences which have left a trail of death anddestruction. “As a country, Nigeria is forced to come to terms with therealities of insurgency and terror in terms of the dynamics of their emergenceand changing patterns — representing the single most potent threat to bothhuman and national security in Nigeria.” Mutfwang, who was represented by the Deputy Governor of theState, Mrs. Josephine Piyo, said Plateau State, as an ethnically andreligiously diverse federating unit, was christened the ‘Home of Peace andTourism’ because of its rich history and legacy as the melting point ofdiversity. He maintained that “the eruption of violent conflicts in theState is linked to a range of factors, including increased competition overaccess to land and political power, as well as population dynamics that putcommunities under undue pressure. “These have had devastating consequences on the livelihoods,economy, and security of our State and its citizens. “The consequence of all this is to ask whether government atall levels has fulfilled Section 14, Subsection 2(b) of the 1999 Constitutionof the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which provides that the security andwelfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.” He continued: “The scale, complexity, and persistence ofinsecurity across Plateau State is quite evident, to the extent that about 420communities were attacked, with nearly 12,000 lives lost and countlesslivelihoods destroyed between 2001 and May 2025. “The humanitarian, economic, and social toll is profound.The evidence reveals that most of the deadly attacks were neither random norisolated, but appear deliberate, coordinated, and sustained by multiple factorspursuing economic, territorial, religious, and political agendas. “The roots of infiltration, the patterns of destruction, andthe strategies of occupation all seem to point to a broader agenda ofdestabilisation, requiring decisive and multi-dimensional responses. “In addition, a common feature of the plight of ruralcommunities in Plateau State is the phenomenon of land displacement and landgrabbing, resulting in loss of lives, livelihoods, land, and destruction ofcultures. Criminal groups continue to exploit mining sites, using the proceedsto finance their operations with arms and drugs. “The Plateau State Government has attempted to curb thismenace through measures like mining bans, but challenges remain due to thedeep-rooted links between illegal mining and financing criminal activities,”the governor decried. “Therefore, the initiative of the Senate of the FederalRepublic of Nigeria to organise this public hearing on security is a welcomedevelopment.” Mutfwang maintained that the initiative by the Senate, amongothers, will contribute immensely to finding lasting solutions to “thisnational calamity that has befallen us.” “It is time to stop pointing fingers or comparing who haslost more lives across religious and ethnic divides. It is time to join handsand unite. “I call on all stakeholders to make very honest and usefulcontributions that will return Plateau State and Nigeria to the path of unityand prosperity,” the governor admonished. Earlier in his welcome remarks, Senate Minority Leader, AbbaMoro, said, “This public hearing has been organised as an instrument ofinclusivity to gauge stakeholders’ opinions on how best to understand andcollectively address the complex security threats confronting our nation. “This level of engagement is needed at this point in ournation because from the sprawling urban landscapes to the vast hinterlands ofNigeria, the spectre of insecurity has become so pervasive and debilitating.National headlines have been inundated with stories of protracted conflicts,insurgency in the Northeast, rising militancy in the Niger Delta, farmer-herderclashes, communal conflicts, kidnapping, terrorism, and destruction offarmlands in the Northwest, North Central, and across other parts of thecountry,” he explained. According to him, “This exercise we are embarking upon heretoday is an attestation and affirmation of the seriousness and doggedness thatthe National As

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