- Over 700 killed, 325 injured, 350 kidnapped, 471,820 displaced, 60 villages sacked
- Say terrorist networks exist across region
Fresh waves of deadly attacks on vulnerable communities across Nigeria’s Middle Belt have intensified calls for the Federal Government to declare a security state of emergency in the region, as residents, community leaders and youth groups warn that continued violence is assuming genocidal dimensions and threatens the country’s food security.
The renewed appeal follows recent attacks in Plateau and Benue states that claimed at least 27 lives within three days, further heightening concerns over the worsening security situation across a region widely regarded as Nigeria’s food basket.
The Conference of Autochthonous Ethnic Communities Development Associations (CONECDA) Youth Wing said it has documented widespread attacks across 15 Middle Belt states between January and June 2026, alleging a systematic campaign targeting indigenous communities.
Speaking with Daily Champion, President of the CONECDA Youth Wing, Comrade Paul Dekete, described the situation as an organised assault on native populations and urged the Federal Government to immediately adopt stronger security measures.
According to him, the affected states include Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Southern Kebbi, Southern Kaduna, the Federal Capital Territory, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba, Southern Borno and Southern Yobe.
He disclosed that the association’s documentation recorded more than 700 people killed, over 325 injured, more than 350 kidnapped, about 471,820 persons displaced and over 60 communities attacked within the first six months of the year.
“What we found out cumulatively across these affected autochthonous areas is staggering and a clear indication of a genocidal annihilation of native inhabitants. We have over 700 people killed, over 325 injured, over 350 kidnapped, 471,820 persons displaced and over 60 communities ransacked respectively in just six months,” Dekete stated.
He lamented the worsening humanitarian conditions facing internally displaced persons (IDPs), noting that thousands of displaced families remain without adequate government assistance while the number of displaced residents continues to rise.
“The current situation of IDPs is very pathetic as hundreds of thousands of them remain unattended to across Plateau, Benue, the Middle Belt and other affected indigenous communities,” he said.
Dekete called on the Federal Government to strengthen intelligence gathering by deploying more operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies to vulnerable communities in order to prevent further attacks before they occur.
Indigenous youths commend DSS operations
Also speaking, Chairman of the Plateau Northern Zone of Indigenous Youths Nationalities, Barr. Dalyop Mwantiri, commended the establishment of a DSS operational camp in Barkin Ladi in May 2026, describing it as a significant intervention that restored confidence among residents.
According to him, the deployment represented renewed hope for communities that had endured years of repeated attacks.
He recalled that the DSS facility itself reportedly came under attack on June 1, 2026, by armed militants, bandits and other criminal groups, but security operatives successfully repelled the assault.
“The attack was successfully repelled by the DSS, demonstrating commendable professionalism, preparedness and operational capability in confronting forces that have for years unleashed violence upon innocent communities,” Mwantiri said.
He noted that before the deployment, attacks on villages around Barkin Ladi had become almost routine, with about 200 persons reportedly killed within five months while many residents abandoned their ancestral homes.
According to him, sustained intelligence-led operations by the DSS significantly reduced the frequency of attacks and restored hope to communities that had lived under constant fear.
Mwantiri urged authorities to sustain the operations and disregard what he described as campaigns of misinformation aimed at discrediting the security initiative.
“As indigenous people whose communities have paid an immeasurable price in blood, displacement and destruction, we stand firmly behind every constitutional, intelligence-driven and professional measure aimed at dismantling terrorist networks, dislodging criminal occupiers from illegally acquired territories, securing our ancestral communities, and guaranteeing every law-abiding resident of Plateau State the freedom to live, farm, worship and pursue legitimate livelihoods without fear or intimidation,” he stated.
“The tears of our widows and orphans demand not rhetoric, but decisive action. The future of Plateau State depends on our collective resolve to ensure that terror never triumphs over peace, and that truth will never surrender to propaganda.”
Group faults failure to prosecute perpetrators
Dekete questioned why major perpetrators of repeated attacks have largely escaped arrest and prosecution despite recurring incidents.
He alleged that CONECDA’s Centre for Early Warning and Early Response System (CEWERS) had issued alerts ahead of attacks in Bokkos, Barkin Ladi and Yelwata but claimed no preventive action was taken.
According to him, delayed security response, inadequate intelligence gathering, poor policing capacity and the absence of sufficient security formations in rural communities have continued to embolden attackers.
“Government’s continuous condemnations without arrests, no relief for IDPs and broken promises form part of the factors persistently fueling the attacks,” he said.
Food security under threat
Beyond the humanitarian crisis, CONECDA warned that persistent insecurity across the Middle Belt could trigger severe food shortages nationwide.
The association observed that many of the affected states are major agricultural producers whose farming activities have been disrupted by violence, displacement and fear.
“Most of the Middle Belt states severely affected by banditry, terrorism and other criminal activities are the food basket of the nation. They produce food in large quantities and unless genuine action is taken to end the ugly trend, it will be difficult for farmers to return to their farms, let alone achieve bumper harvests,” Dekete warned.
The association therefore urged the Federal Government to declare a security state of emergency across the 15 Middle Belt states, arrest and prosecute both perpetrators and sponsors of attacks, and formally establish Community Joint Task Force (CJTF) structures from state headquarters down to ward level in collaboration with conventional security agencies.
According to him, such measures would not only improve security but also strengthen food production and support economic recovery.
Fresh attacks claim 27 lives
The renewed calls followed fresh attacks between July 10 and 12 in Benue and Plateau states that left at least 27 people dead.
In Benue State, no fewer than 18 persons were reportedly killed in separate attacks on communities in Otukpo Local Government Area.
The first incident occurred on July 10 when suspected armed herders allegedly attacked Akpachi village in Ugboju community, killing two farmers on their farms.
Less than 24 hours later, gunmen reportedly invaded Otukpo-Nobi community at about 4 a.m., killing at least 16 persons and leaving several others injured.
The attacks came barely two weeks after the killing of the Benue State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Ardo Risku Mohammed, and his associate, Yakubu Isah, who were ambushed while returning from a peace meeting in Ohimini Local Government Area.
The latest killings sparked protests in Otukpo as angry youths carried the bodies of victims to the palace of the Och’Idoma, disrupting an ongoing church service while demanding urgent government intervention.
Protesters blocked major roads, leaving commuters stranded for several hours as tension spread across the town.
Reacting, Governor Hyacinth Alia condemned the attacks, describing them as barbaric and a direct assault on the lives and peaceful coexistence of Benue people.
In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, the governor directed security agencies to intensify surveillance, collaborate with neighbouring states, track down those responsible and ensure they face prosecution.
Nine family members killed in Plateau
In neighbouring Plateau State, gunmen attacked Kum and Wereng-Camp communities in Riyom Local Government Area late on July 11.
Residents said the assailants invaded the communities at about 11:30 p.m., shooting indiscriminately for more than an hour and forcing villagers to flee into nearby bushes.
The attack claimed the lives of nine members of the same family, including a two-month-old baby.
National Publicity Secretary of the Berom Youth Moulders Association, Rwang Tengwong, confirmed the attack, saying security agencies had been informed while expressing hope that those responsible would be apprehended.
The latest violence has heightened fears among residents, many of whom remain displaced and uncertain about returning to their communities despite the deployment of additional security personnel.
Community leaders insist that beyond routine condemnations, only sustained intelligence-led operations, stronger community-based security arrangements, speedy prosecution of perpetrators and comprehensive support for displaced victims can halt the cycle of violence that continues to threaten lives, livelihoods and national food security across the Middle Belt.
