HURIWA condemns Plateau killings, accuses Tinubu and Mutfwang of failing to stop “bloodshed”

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria has condemned the killing of 13 people in Ngbra Zongo community, Kwall District, Bassa LGA, Plateau State, calling it the latest sign that the state has been abandoned to armed attackers.

HURIWA said the attack, which left scores injured, is another reminder that communities in Plateau continue to face raids by “bloodthirsty killers” who strike and escape without resistance.

-Group faults Tinubu and Mutfwang-

In a statement on 9 May, HURIWA blamed President Bola Tinubu and Plateau Governor Caleb Mutfwang for what it called indifference and poor response to the violence.

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The group accused Tinubu of treating the killings as a political threat to his second-term ambitions rather than as terrorism, and said the president has failed to arrest, prosecute, and secure maximum punishment for perpetrators.

It also criticised Mutfwang for lacking a plan to protect residents, saying the state government has failed to arm, mobilize, and organize people to defend themselves against what it described as “armed Fulani terrorists” targeting Plateau Christians.

HURIWA added that Mutfwang’s move to the ruling APC has not changed the federal government’s approach, saying Plateau people remain exposed to attacks.

-Call for stronger response-

The association said President Tinubu’s brief stop at the airport during a recent visit to Plateau showed a lack of empathy for grieving families. It argued that Nigerians expected the president to visit affected communities, meet survivors, and take decisive action.

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HURIWA described the repeated attacks in Bassa, Barkin Ladi, and other areas as a national emergency and an indictment of Nigeria’s security architecture. It warned that the failure to arrest and prosecute masterminds is emboldening attackers and eroding public trust.

The group demanded immediate deployment of reinforced security to vulnerable communities, a transparent independent investigation with timelines for arrests and prosecution, and concrete preventive measures instead of routine condemnations after each attack.

HURIWA also said the federal government should arm law-abiding adults in Plateau to defend their right to life, arguing that “the blood of innocent Nigerians must not become cheaper than political convenience.”