By Steven Kefas
Twenty people were killed in a brutal overnight attack on the peaceful community of Bindi in Ta-Hoss Village, Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, on Monday, July 14, 2025, according to local advocacy groups.
The Coalition for the Protection of Democracy (COPDEM), Riyom Branch, which announced the attack, described it as another devastating blow to communities already reeling from persistent violence in Nigeria’s volatile Middle Belt region.
Eyewitnesses and local sources confirmed that the assailants were heavily armed suspected Fulani extremists, continuing a tragic pattern of attacks across Riyom and other parts of Plateau State. The assault occurred despite the visible presence of security forces in the area, including armoured military assets, raising serious questions about the effectiveness of current security arrangements.
The attack is the latest in a series of violent incidents that have plagued the region. Just a day earlier, on July 13, gunmen suspected to be Fulani militia killed two preachers after their church service in the Gwon community of Rim District, also in Riyom LGA. The escalating violence has created a climate of fear and uncertainty among residents.
Escalating Violence in Plateau State
In Plateau state, armed herders carried out 38 attacks between March and April 2025 alone, according to Amnesty International. Between 27 March and 2 April 2025, coordinated attacks took place against five communities: Daffo, Gwande, Hurti, Manguna, and Ruwi in Bokkos local government.
With many herders belonging to the Muslim Fulani ethnic group, and many farmers Christian, the attacks in Nigeria’s Middle Belt often take on a religious or ethnic dimension. This dynamic has complicated resolution efforts and heightened communal tensions across the region.
Pattern of Impunity
COPDEM officials expressed frustration over what they described as the recurring nature of these attacks, noting that the locations and hideouts of the attackers have been repeatedly identified and reported to authorities. The group questioned why known threats continue to operate with apparent impunity despite security presence in the region.
“These attackers are not unknown. Their hideouts and base settlements in nearby enclaves have been repeatedly identified and reported by community leaders and local authorities,” the group stated in their press release. “Yet, year after year, these known threats continue to strike with impunity, often unchallenged.”
The attack on Ta-Hoss follows a devastating pattern in Riyom LGA. In April 2025, Daniel Mwanti of Wereng Community, Riyom LGA, was attacked and shot dead by Fulani militiamen, while on 24 December, gunmen killed at least 15 people — majority of them women and children —during an attack on Gidan Ado community of Ganawuri in Riyom LGA.
Broader Security Crisis
The Ta-Hoss attack is part of a broader security crisis affecting Nigeria’s Middle Belt. At least 50 people were reported killed in a similar attack in Zikke in April 2025, while at least 150 Christian farmers were killed by suspected Fulani Militias in weekend attacks in Yelwata in Benue state on June 13, 2025
Calls for Action
COPDEM has called on President Bola Tinubu and the National Security Council to order a high-level intervention and military operation to dismantle known terrorist enclaves threatening Plateau’s peace. The group also demanded that the Plateau State Government declare a state of emergency in affected areas.
The organization urged the Chief of Defence Staff and Chief of Army Staff to audit and reposition security architecture across Riyom and adjoining local government areas, while calling on the Nigerian Police and Department of State Services to investigate the continued failure to apprehend attackers despite available intelligence.
In a direct appeal to international bodies, COPDEM called on the United Nations Human Rights Council, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other global organizations to take immediate interest in what they described as “systematic violence and creeping genocide in Plateau State.”
As families in Ta-Hoss village mourn their dead and begin the difficult process of rebuilding their lives, the attack serves as another stark reminder of the urgent need for comprehensive solutions to Nigeria’s persistent security challenges in the Middle Belt region.