The Chairman of the Plateau State Fact-Finding Committee on Incessant Attacks and Killings, Major General Nicholas Rogers (rtd), has disclosed that over 11,000 people have been killed and at least 420 communities destroyed in two decades of recurring violence across the state.
Rogers revealed the figures while submitting the committee’s report to Governor Caleb Mutfwang last week at the Government House, Jos.
The 10-member panel, inaugurated in May 2025, was mandated to investigate the causes of the protracted conflict that has plagued Plateau since 2001. According to its findings, no fewer than 13 local government areas suffered repeated assaults, with whole settlements wiped out and thousands displaced.
However, the report sparked controversy after sections of the media claimed it indicted Fulani herders as the main perpetrators. Rogers dismissed the reports, insisting the violence could not be attributed to any single group.
“The crisis in Plateau State is not domiciled in any ethnic group. All the ethnic groups are involved. It is wrong to pinpoint any particular tribe and say it is responsible. We have all made mistakes in one way or the other, and it is those mistakes that led to this issue of crisis,” he said.
The retired general clarified that the recommendations had been submitted only to the governor and were not yet in the public domain. He emphasised that reprisal attacks had sustained the cycle of killings, urging elites and community leaders to caution youths against taking laws into their hands.
“We advise the elite to instruct their youth to report cases to the authorities and allow investigations to be conducted properly. We urge people to lay down their arms,” Rogers appealed.
He further called on the Plateau government to summon the political will to implement the recommendations in order to secure lasting peace.
LND cautions against unconditional talks with bandits
Meanwhile, the League of Northern Democrats (LND) has warned against mounting calls for negotiations with bandits terrorising northern Nigeria, stressing that dialogue should only happen under strict, verifiable conditions.
In a statement issued after a meeting in Abuja, LND’s Assistant National Publicity Secretary, Mohmood Hassan, argued that granting criminals concessions in the name of peace would amount to legitimising terror.
“True peace processes require military-secured areas, enforced ceasefires, neutral venues, third-party verification of disarmament, and strict civilian protection. The Katsina episode ignored these fundamentals and undermined both security and accountability,” the statement read.
The group urged Northern governors to prioritise the safety of their citizens, insisting that excuses of structural limitations could not justify failure to act. It also appealed to stakeholders to focus on repositioning the North within Nigeria’s mainstream by confronting insecurity and other existential challenges.
The LND further commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the transparent conduct of its ongoing political party registration exercise and encouraged the commission to sustain credibility to strengthen public confidence in the electoral process.
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