Terrorists Advance on Plateau Borders, Conquer crucial Hills
- TruthNigeria
- 12m
- 5 min read
By Masara Kim
‘Reality Is, We Are at War:’ Plateau State Legislator
(Jos) On the eve of a U.S. Congressional hearing on Nigeria’s complex civil war TruthNigeria surveyed thought leaders in the key contested battleground state of Plateau and found consensus that ascending violence is likely on the state’s horizon.
The controversial Fulani ethnic militias linked to dozens of village burnings and atrocities against Christians during the last decade continue to dominate seized lands, according to local leaders and national politicians.
“The [border] is so porous,” said a former member of the Nigerian Parliament, Simon Mwadkwon to TruthNigeria.
“We are aware that they came from almost every part of this country,” said Mwadkwon, a former Senate Minority leader. “Even from Nasarawa State, a lot of them have moved into Plateau State,” Mwadkwon said.
“They are still here, within the mountains here. They are there right now,” said Mwadkwon, who represented Plateau’s northern Senatorial district in the Nigerian Senate until 2024.
As of September 2nd, there are rumors of impending terror attacks in areas south of Jos the state capital. The kinetic areas hug the state’s southwestern border with Nasarawa State, where terrorists identifying as Fulani have established camps and displaced thousands according to locals.
On September 1, Fulani terrorists killed one person and burned several shops and houses near the state’s southern border with Nasarawa State, TruthNigeria learned. It was the latest in a series of attacks claiming more than five residents in the Qua’anpan County in recent weeks according to Danladi Fwankat Dimas, a local community leader.
The early morning attack targeted Christian residents in a village hub located close to a large swath of forest stretching across the southern edge of Plateau State bordering Nasarawa, Dimas told TruthNigeria.
“At 2:20 am, the Fulani [terrorists] attacked the town of “Nteng,” burned houses, shops and killed one person, Danladi Audu Zoelangmut of Koelakan Nteng,” said Dimas. “This is not the first time the community is being attacked,” Dimas told TruthNigeria. “Even last Friday August 29, there were multiple attacks in and around the community,” Dimas said. “On Friday at about 5:30 am the Fulani attacked Jepmorop community, a village under Nteng which shares boundary with Lafia local Government Area of Nasarawa state through Mangwat and Jibial,” said Dimas.
“They burned several houses, destroyed farmlands and displaced many. Later that same day at about 3:40 pm another village near Nteng was attacked by the Fulani, who also burned houses and destroyed farm crops,” Dimas went on to say. “An hour later at about 4:20 pm they attacked Mafi, a village close to a major town of Nteng under Koelakan and killed one person,” Dimas added.
While residents were still ducking for cover from the terrorists fire in Quaanpan, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa was in Jos, unveiling a new name for the joint military task force Operation Safe Haven. General Musa announced the task force will henceforth be known as “Operation Enduring Peace.” The task force is rebranding, featuring new logos, flags, and badges since its establishment in 2010. Musa acknowledged public concerns regarding effectiveness and efficiency by troops as part of reasons for the change and declared a new mandate and focus for the task force.
“In practical terms, we are deploying additional personnel, enhancing logistics, and providing critical operational assets to improve effectiveness,” said General Musa at a ceremony on Friday August 29.
The new name of the hybrid security outfit was cold comfort to the Plateau residents who for years have waited in vain for military units to come to their rescue during midnight attacks by swarms of Fulani ethnic militia shouting Alahu Akbar! Scores of villages and towns have been taken over in Plateau State since the infamous serious of attacks mounted over a 10-day period from Dec. 23, 2023, and dubbed “Black Christmas.
From July to September 1, 2025, terrorists continued their reign, displacing civilians and seizing territories around the state’s borders. In the weeks leading up to the so-called rebranding, more than 300 residents were killed in the border areas of Bassa, Riyom, Barkin Ladi, Bokkos, Mangu, Quaanpan and Wase all of which are lined up along the borders with Kaduna and Nasarawa from the northwest to the southeast of Plateau state.
TruthNigeria investigations have revealed a terrorist-led land grabbing campaign that sprang from the north, west and central parts of Plateau during the black Christmas massacre of over 280 Christians in 2023 has recently been followed by a new invasion from to the southwest, south-south and southeast of the state.
“The reality is that we are at war,” says the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Naanlong Daniel.
“And the situation requires strategic efforts to see that this issue is addressed,” said Daniel recently. “As representatives [of the people], what has happened [in recent times] has exposed us to a lot of things. And I think it is only right to make sure that all the loopholes are closed, using all the information we have available,” Daniel said during a visit to the scene of a brutal murder of 27 Christians including babies near Jos.
“Even though security issues are classified, I can assure you that we will escalate this [matter] to the security agencies to see how this issue can be addressed,” Daniel said, responding to concerns of residents regarding terrorist threats from surrounding states.
But Senator Simon Mwadkon feels differently about the ability of federal troops to curb the situation. “You can see that if they claim they have been doing well, their effort is not good enough. Because day in day out, people are being killed,” said Mwadkwon, who pointed to Fulani militants for the attacks.
“The whole issue is all about land grabbing. These people want to occupy our land. And each time we hear the military say they have repelled them. What are you repelling? People have come to kill for goodness’ sake they should also die,” he said.
Despite widespread attacks and displacements, military civilian-affairs officers in several local government areas have staged so-called “peace meetings” based on the premise that 800 Plateau Christians gunned down since January first were victims of “farmer herder clashes.” Yet, eyewitness testimonies of terrorist invasions published in Epoch Times since 2021 and TruthNigeria since 2023 have found no evidence of reciprocal clashes.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang has repeatedly opposed the claims, insisting the attacks in Plateau State are genocidal, aimed at ethnic displacements and territorial control.
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