Daniel Otera
Despite renewed efforts by the Plateau State Government to address its long-running cycle of violence, fresh killings in the Miango District of Bassa Local Government Area have once again cast a shadow over peace-building initiatives in the region.
On Tuesday, three members of the same family were reportedly killed on their farm while harvesting crops, an incident that occurred as a government-appointed fact-finding committee was holding peace deliberations just a few kilometres away.
The victims had gone to their farmland on the outskirts of Miango town when they were attacked in what appears to be another episode in the persistent conflict that has pitted agrarian communities against pastoralist groups in central Nigeria.
Local accounts indicate that two other members of the family sustained life-threatening injuries and were transferred to a medical facility in Jos for emergency treatment.
This latest attack is not an isolated occurrence. Bassa Local Government Area has, for years, remained one of the most volatile flashpoints in Nigeria’s North Central region, primarily due to protracted tensions between the Irigwe people, an indigenous farming community, and nomadic herders, predominantly of Fulani origin.
The killings occurred on the same day that a state-appointed fact-finding committee was engaging with community leaders and security officials at the Bassa Local Government Secretariat. The committee, inaugurated by the Plateau State Government, was tasked with investigating the underlying causes of violent conflict in the region and recommending sustainable solutions for peace and reconciliation.
Although government officials condemned the killings and appealed for calm, the incident raises pressing questions about the depth of the crisis and the effectiveness of both past and present conflict-resolution frameworks.
Data from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), and civil society organisations consistently identify Bassa and neighbouring districts as recurring hotspots for violent conflict in Plateau State. These areas have remained volatile over the past two decades, with the Miango axis emerging as a particularly troubled zone.
While violence is often triggered by immediate disputes over farmland and grazing routes, the deeper roots lie in longstanding structural and environmental factors. These include population pressure, climate-induced degradation of arable land, the breakdown of traditional dispute resolution mechanisms, and the absence of clearly defined grazing policies.
The situation is further compounded by inadequate and often delayed government response.
The trajectory of violence can be traced back to the early 2000s but escalated significantly in subsequent years.
The 2021 massacre in Bassa, which claimed dozens of lives and displaced entire communities, remains one of the most devastating episodes in recent memory. Despite national outrage and heightened security presence at the time, no sustained preventive action or meaningful prosecutions followed.
NHRC reports from 2023 documented over 750 human rights violation cases in Plateau State within a single year, many involving unlawful killings, arbitrary detention, and displacement linked to communal unrest.
By 2024, that figure had risen to 1,161 reported cases, indicating a worrying trend of increasing insecurity and systemic impunity.
Miango continues to experience cyclical violence, with both farming and herding communities caught in a relentless loop of reprisals. Distrust runs deep, and many residents view state interventions as either biased or ineffectual. As a result, the cycle of violence and displacement remains largely unbroken.
While numerous peace initiatives have been launched from community dialogues to military operations the absence of concrete, data-driven policy implementation has prevented measurable progress. For the people of Bassa, peace remains an elusive aspiration.
Independent evaluations by peacebuilding and governance-focused organisations have consistently highlighted the shortcomings of Plateau State’s crisis response. Reports by Search for Common Ground and the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) point to delayed emergency responses, poor inter-agency coordination, and widespread distrust in official interventions. These systemic failures create an environment where local grievances fester and often escalate into full-blown violence before preventive action can be taken.
A 2023 study by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) identified Plateau as a case study for the effects of weak local governance structures, limited economic opportunities, and youth disenfranchisement.
The report argued that sustainable peace would require a multi-dimensional strategy combining security sector reform, inclusive community development, and long-term reconciliation mechanisms.
In addition to institutional failures, the lack of economic opportunity, rising youth unemployment, and widespread perceptions of political marginalisation continue to fuel resentment. In many rural parts of Plateau, the farming season is increasingly viewed with anxiety, as land-related disputes frequently spark deadly confrontations.
Despite various peace-building initiatives including the establishment of the Plateau Peace Building Agency (PPBA) in 2016 long-term stability remains elusive. While the agency has facilitated dialogues and partnered with international organisations such as USAID and Mercy Corps, its impact has been hindered by political interference, underfunding, and the disconnect between elite-level negotiations and grassroots realities.
Independent data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) consistently identifies Bassa as a hotspot for recurring violence. Many of these incidents are timed to coincide with farming or harvest seasons, suggesting a pattern whereby attackers target communities at their most vulnerable when residents are focused on agricultural activities or food collection.
Although no single factor can fully explain the persistence of violence, the seasonal nature of attacks underscores the strategic motivations behind them. It also highlights broader concerns about land insecurity, food access, and the increasingly fragile relationship between settled farmers and nomadic herders in Plateau State.
For many residents of Miango and surrounding communities, the renewed bloodshed is a grim reminder that official declarations of peace remain far removed from the realities on the ground. With each fresh wave of violence, public confidence in the ability of the government to protect lives and property continues to erode.
Unless there is a shift from reactive measures to a proactive, people-centred strategy that integrates justice, livelihood support, and inclusive governance, Plateau’s peace efforts risk becoming yet another cycle of empty promises.
For now, Miango bleeds again, even as talks of peace echo in nearby halls.
