Latest Plateau killings: You’re a failure for not protecting lives of citizens, Amnesty International tells Tinubu

The Amnesty International Nigeria has described the latest killings in Plateau state as shameful display of government failure to protect lives of its citizens..

The international human rights body made this remarks while condemning the incident, in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

The attack, which occurred on Monday in Bindi-Jebbu of the Tahoss community in Riyom Local Government Area, claimed the lives of no fewer than 27 residents.

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

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

The international human rights group strongly criticised President Bola Ahmed 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.

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

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.

Stressed the human rights body: “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, warning that government inaction was deepening insecurity and mistrust.

Said the group: “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 Bindi-Jebbu massacre is the latest in an unsettling wave of violence that has rocked Plateau state, where farming communities have faced repeated attacks from suspected armed militias over the years.