You will have failed Nigerians – Amnesty blasts Tinubu govt over Plateau killing

The Amnesty International Nigeria has condemned the recent deadly attack in Plateau State, calling it a horrific and shameful display of government failure to protect lives.

The attack, which occurred on Monday in Bindi-Jebbu of the Tahoss community in Riyom Local Government Area, claimed the lives of at least 27 residents.

According to Amnesty, entire families were deliberately targeted, locked in their homes, and killed. Those who tried to flee were reportedly gunned down.

“Entire families were locked up in their rooms and slaughtered one by one. Those who tried to escape were shot,” Amnesty Nigeria wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.

The international human rights group strongly criticized President Bola Tinubu’s government, accusing it of falling short on its promises to curb killings across the country—particularly in Plateau, a state that has endured a long string of attacks on rural communities.

“President Bola Tinubu claims repeatedly to have ‘tasked’ security agencies to end the killings, but the mounting death toll clearly tells a different story,” Amnesty stated.

The group demanded an impartial investigation into the latest killings and accountability for those responsible. It also called for urgent reforms to prevent such violence from recurring.

“The Nigerian authorities must impartially investigate these attacks to ensure that suspected perpetrators are held to account. More concrete steps must be taken to end the relentless bloodshed in Plateau state, in which typically, gunmen attack farming communities and slaughter people and raze homes.”

The statement also highlighted the growing pattern of impunity and warned that government inaction is deepening insecurity and mistrust.

“The government of Nigeria has an obligation to protect the people. The rising death toll in some states and increasing impunity by gunmen shows just how badly the authorities are failing in this responsibility,” the group concluded.

The Bindi-Jebbu massacre is the latest in a troubling wave of violence that has rocked Plateau State, where farming communities have faced repeated attacks from suspected armed militias over the years.