Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the recent wave of killings in Plateau State, calling the attacks on the Nding Susut community and the subsequent assault on mourners in Barkin Ladi evidence of escalating insecurity and an inadequate government response. In a statement released on Wednesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the incidents bear “the frightening signature of organised terrorism” and highlight the absence of an effective counter‑terrorism strategy under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
According to the statement, armed men attacked the Nding Susut community in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area on Tuesday night, killing several residents. The perpetrators allegedly returned the following day and opened fire on mourners gathered for the victims’ burial. Atiku described the repeat attack within 24 hours as “a damning indictment of the government’s failure to respond swiftly to distress calls and secure vulnerable communities.”
The former vice‑president criticised the contradictory official accounts that have emerged around the incident, urging authorities to move beyond “bureaucratic contradiction or institutional defensiveness.” He warned that Nigerians are “tired of condolences without protection, and outrage without action.”
Atiku also noted that President Tinubu, during his April 2 visit to Plateau State, did not meet the communities affected by the March 29 attacks in Jos North. He argued that leadership requires more than “carefully staged appearances”; it demands empathy, decisive action and a clear operational plan.
Citing official records and media reports, Atiku said more than 2,500 people have been killed in Plateau State between 2023 and 2025. He stressed that these figures represent “fathers, mothers, children, farmers, worshippers and breadwinners” whose lives have been lost while the government “continues to grope in the dark for solutions.”
The statement called on the federal government, security agencies and the Plateau State administration to adopt a comprehensive strategy to halt the killings and restore public confidence. “The people of Plateau State deserve safety, justice and peace – not endless mourning and empty political rhetoric,” Atiku concluded.
The incident underscores the broader security challenges facing Nigeria’s middle‑belt region, where communal clashes, banditry and extremist activity have surged in recent years. Observers note that the lack of a coordinated response may embolden perpetrators and further destabilise the area. Stakeholders await a concrete plan from the Tinubu administration to address the escalating violence.
