24/02/2026
PRESS STATEMENT
ON THE RECENT KILLINGS IN PLATEAU STATE
My heart is heavy as I address the tragic and deeply disturbing wave of killings that have engulfed several communities across Plateau State in the past few days. The attacks in Barkin Ladi, Riyom, Kanam, and parts of Mangu have left many dead, families shattered, and entire communities living in fear.
From coordinated night assaults that claimed at least ten lives, to separate attacks that killed twelve persons across Barkin Ladi and Riyom, to the heartbreaking murder of traders travelling from Jos to Pankshin, and the killing of herders near Jol village, the pattern is clear. Our people are under siege. These are not just statistics. They are fathers, mothers, children, breadwinners, and innocent citizens whose only crime was living and working in their ancestral communities.
I condemn these senseless killings in the strongest possible terms. Plateau State cannot continue on this trajectory of bloodshed and reprisals.
I call on the Federal Government, the State Government and security agencies to immediately:
1. Deploy enhanced security presence in the most affected LGAs.
2. Establish permanent security outposts in vulnerable rural communities.
3. Conduct a thorough investigation to identify, arrest, and prosecute perpetrators regardless of ethnic or religious identity.
4. Strengthen community-based conflict resolution mechanisms to break the cycle of reprisals.
Plateau deserves sustainable peace, not temporary calm between outbreaks.
To the grieving families in Barkin Ladi, Riyom, Kanam, and Mangu, I extend my deepest condolences. Your pain is our collective pain. Your loss is a wound on the conscience of our state and our nation.
Now is not the time for division or inflammatory rhetoric. It is the time for unity, justice, and bold leadership. Plateau must rise above fear. We must choose peace over revenge, dialogue over destruction, and coexistence over chaos.
The bloodshed must stop. Plateau lives matter. Our future depends on it.
Signed:
Rt. Hon. Fom Dalyop Gwottson
Fmr. Deputy Speaker, PLHA