Former member of the House of Representatives, Dachung Bagos, has described the recent wave of killings in Plateau State as a “planned genocide,” warning that the situation could spiral further without urgent intervention.
Bagos made the assertion during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, alleging that the attacks were carefully coordinated and executed by trained militias.
“This was not random violence. It was a calculated attack. What is happening in Plateau is pure genocide,” he said, adding that the assailants appeared to have prior knowledge of their targets.
According to him, the restraint shown by local youths has so far prevented the violence from escalating into full-blown communal clashes, despite what he described as deliberate provocations.
He also called for accountability, urging authorities to prosecute individuals previously arrested over related threats, insisting that failure to do so has emboldened attackers.
Bagos further raised concerns over intelligence and security lapses, noting reports that the gunmen neither spoke Hausa nor operated like typical local bandits, suggesting a more organised external force.
Residents, he said, are demanding concrete security action rather than political rhetoric, including the establishment of state police and better equipping of security agencies.
The remarks come in the wake of a deadly Sunday night attack in Angwan Rukuba and nearby communities in Jos North Local Government Area, which left several people dead and many others injured, forcing residents to flee their homes.
The incident follows a similar attack in Kanam Local Government Area weeks earlier, where over 20 security operatives and vigilantes were killed in an ambush.
Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang has since condemned the latest violence as “barbaric and unprovoked,” convened emergency security meetings, and imposed a 48-hour curfew in Jos North in a bid to restore order.
