The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has visited Zikke community, Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, while urging the residents not to “profile criminals based on their ethnicity.”
Egbetokun made the declaration during his tour of the violence-torn state on Tuesday, following Monday attack that left scores dead, homes burned, and hundreds displaced.
There have been reports that the attacks were carried out by armed Fulani herdsmen who have also been fingered for the similar attacks in Benue State communities.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms these acts of violence,” Egbetokun said.
“We recognise the severity of the incident and its negative impact on the local farming communities in Plateau State. I don’t want to say much on this, but I would say that this criminal element will soon be surprised because I know that their days are numbered.”
The Inspector General also called for unity among residents and cautioned against ethnic profiling of perpetrators.
“I want to appeal to our people that we should not profile criminals based on their ethnicity. We must stop ethnic profiling of criminals,” he added.
“Criminals must be dealt with as criminals. Criminals don’t have tribes. They are just criminals. Let us work together to ensure that the criminals in our midst are dealt with as criminals and not on the basis of where they come from.”
The attack in Zikke comes just two weeks after a similarly gruesome assault in Bokkos Local Government Area, where dozens were also killed.
The spate of killings has raised fresh concerns over the deteriorating security situation in central Nigeria’s Plateau State.
Governor Caleb Muftwang, who received the IGP during the visit, had condemned the massacre in the strongest terms, describing it as a deliberate killing of civilians, including children and the elderly.
“What happened in Plateau is plain murder. Children aged between 3 and 9 were killed—no fewer than eight of them. What could a three-year-old possibly do to deserve this?” Muftwang lamented.
“We have old men in their 70s and above, harmless women, all murdered in cold blood. This is criminality and it must be dealt with as such.”
The governor expressed deep frustration, noting that Plateau had been making strides in peacebuilding and was beginning to enjoy relative calm before the recent surge in violence.
“Plateau was rising in terms of peace. I even boasted that it was perhaps the safest state in Nigeria — it was not an exaggeration. But now, we are facing something dark, something that must be confronted urgently,” he said.
Muftwang further disclosed that he had spoken directly with President Bola Tinubu, who assured him of a coordinated response.
“I have discussed with Mr. President and he has assured me that all the security heads have been directed to bring the situation under control. At the moment, things are calm but we must not relent,” the governor added.
The Zikke killings are the latest in a string of attacks in Plateau, a state long plagued by communal clashes, herder-farmer conflicts, and banditry.
Civil society organisations and community leaders have repeatedly called for stronger and swifter responses from federal authorities.
