The Plateau State Government has openly criticized the Nigerian Army for its inability to arrest or neutralize the assailants responsible for the killing of 27 farmers in the Tahoss community, Riyom Local Government Area, earlier this week.

Speaking on The Morning Brief, a Channels Television programme aired on Friday, the state Commissioner for Information, Joyce Ramnap, expressed dismay over the military’s response to the attack, which took place just 200 metres from a military checkpoint.

“The checkpoint is barely 200 metres from the scene of the incident,” Ramnap said. “Yet, despite engaging the attackers during the assault, the military made no arrests. None of the gunmen were apprehended or neutralized.”

She emphasized that the Tahoss community is not remote and is surrounded by multiple military checkpoints, raising concerns about the seeming lack of decisive action.

“This is not an isolated or inaccessible community. There was an opportunity for intervention, and yet no meaningful action was taken,” she said. “We’re not trying to generalize or accuse the entire Army, but clearly, there is a need for a deeper investigation.”

Ramnap disclosed that Governor Caleb Mutfwang has called for accountability and demanded that the military provide clear explanations for its failure to arrest any of the perpetrators.

“If the soldiers truly engaged the attackers at close range, then it should be possible to trace their movement or make some arrests. But as we speak, not a single suspect has been apprehended,” she said.

Describing the assault as both unprovoked and brutal, the commissioner revealed that aside from killing 27 people, the attackers also destroyed farmlands, burning crops and further devastating the affected community.

Reiterating Governor Mutfwang’s stance, she stated that the frequency and scale of such attacks suggest a pattern that could be classified as genocidal.

“While there are gallant soldiers performing their duties, we cannot ignore the fact that there are also bad elements within the system,” she added.

Ramnap provided further details of the attack, noting that it was coordinated from three different directions. According to her, the most severe casualties occurred in the section of the community where residents had taken refuge in a church.

“One flank managed to repel the attackers, but the area near the church suffered the worst blow. Tragically, six people were murdered inside the home of the church pastor, who had fled with his wife shortly before the attackers arrived,” she narrated.

The Plateau region has witnessed a surge in violent attacks in recent months. In April 2024, more than 100 people were killed in coordinated assaults across Bokkos and Bassa Local Government Areas — the deadliest wave of violence since Christmas Eve 2023, when over 150 residents were killed in simultaneous raids.

As calls grow for improved security and accountability, the Plateau State Government has urged the federal authorities to investigate the recurring lapses in military operations and bring the perpetrators to justice.