Defence Minister Visits Plateau After Deadly Attacks as Cleric Warns of Genocide

Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, arrived in Plateau State on Saturday to assess the aftermath of recent deadly attacks in Zikke, a community in Bassa Local Government Area.

The minister, who touched down at Yakubu Gowon Airport in Heipang, was on a condolence visit and security evaluation mission following a wave of killings that have sparked national concern. He was received by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Division of the Nigerian Army and Commander of Operation Safe Haven, Major General Folusho Oyinlola. Also present was retired Brigadier General Gakji Shipi, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Security Matters, along with other senior military officials.

While federal officials engaged in security assessments, prominent Northern cleric Isa El-Buba raised alarm over what he described as an “ongoing genocide” in Plateau State.

Speaking with journalists, El-Buba alleged that foreign terrorists, in collaboration with some local herders, are carrying out systematic attacks aimed at forcefully displacing indigenous populations from their ancestral lands.

“These are not the local herders we used to know,” El-Buba said. “These are Fulani terrorists who deliberately target communities. They don’t operate alone—some locals provide them with information before they strike.”

The Jos-based cleric, who hails from Borno State, backed recent claims by Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, who had previously described the attacks as genocidal. El-Buba argued that the calculated and recurring nature of the violence reveals a broader plan to destabilize the region and alter its demographic structure.

“This is a strategic effort to reconfigure Plateau’s identity through violence,” he said.

The Defence Minister’s visit comes amid growing calls from civil society groups and community leaders for stronger federal intervention and accountability in the face of persistent insecurity in the region.