Amnesty demands probe into Plateau road killings

Amnesty International Nigeria has called on authorities to investigate what it described as a recurring pattern of road blockades and killings of travellers in Plateau State, warning that the trend poses a grave threat to the rights to life and freedom of movement.

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In a statement on Wednesday, the rights group said armed youths recently blocked a road along the Nding axis of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area and killed four travellers.

The incident, it noted, was followed by a reprisal attack in Dorowa Babuje village where seven people were killed.

“The Nigerian authorities must investigate Plateau’s endemic security crisis that involves blocking of roads and killing of travellers,” Amnesty said.

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“This pattern of atrocity has been and continues to be a threat to the right to life and freedom of movement.”

The organisation also recalled previous mob attacks on travellers in the state.

In June last year, 12 travellers from Basawa in Zaria Local Government Area of Kaduna State were killed by a mob in Mangu LGA of Plateau State.

In August 2021, 22 commuters were killed along Rukuba Road in Jos North while returning from an Islamic event in Bauchi State.

According to Amnesty, the failure to hold perpetrators accountable has emboldened those carrying out such attacks.

Traders buried amid tension

The latest concerns follow the killing of traders travelling from Jos to Pankshin Local Government Area for their weekly shoe business.

Daily Trust reported that the corpses of the victims were recovered and buried on Monday evening at the Sabon Anguwa cemetery in Barkin Ladi town.

Government sources told the newspaper that the burial was conducted outside the victims’ immediate communities in Jos North to prevent further unrest following reports of the killings. The traders were residents of the Yandoya community in Jos North LGA.

A youth leader in Barkin Ladi, Danjuma Ibrahim, confirmed the burial.

“Earlier Monday afternoon, we were contacted and told that the corpses of the traders would be brought to us in Barkin Ladi for burial. We later received them and performed the funeral rites. It was done here in Barkin Ladi to douse tension in Jos,” Mr Ibrahim said.

He added that six traders were attacked but two survived. “We buried four. We are calling on people in the state to remain calm and law-abiding. We also urge the government and security agencies to do the needful to bring an end to the growing violence in the affected communities.”

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PREMIUM TIMES gathered that following news of the killings, youths in parts of Jos demanded the release of the bodies of their relatives, prompting security agencies to deploy personnel to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

Cycle of attack and reprisal

The road killings and burial come amid heightened tension in Barkin Ladi and surrounding areas.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that at least 10 people were killed in Ratatis community in Dorowa Babuje, also in Barkin Ladi LGA, in what community leaders described as a reprisal attack. The victims were later buried in a mass ceremony attended by residents and officials.

Governor Caleb Mutfwang subsequently directed security agencies to intensify operations and apprehend those responsible for the violence.

The pattern of attacks, counter attacks and highway ambushes has deepened fears among residents and traders who rely on inter community travel for their livelihoods.

Rights groups say that beyond security deployments, authorities must address accountability gaps.

Amnesty International said the recurring blockade of roads and targeting of travellers demonstrate “a persistent failure to protect citizens and guarantee safe passage on public highways.”

As tension lingers in Jos and parts of Barkin Ladi, residents say lasting calm will depend not only on arrests but on visible prosecution of those responsible for the killings that have repeatedly shaken Plateau State.