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Blood without outrage: inside Qua’an-Pan attack and the silence that shields local perpetrators
Blood without outrage: inside Qua’an-Pan attack and the silence that shields local perpetrators
By: Zagazola Makama
The killing of at least seven persons in Bong village, Doemak District of Qua’an-Pan Local Government Area of Plateau has again exposed a troubling pattern in the narrative and response to violence in the state: when attacks are not linked to Fulani bandits or framed along ethnic or religious lines, they often slide quietly into obscurity.
At least seven persons were killed and several others injured when gunmen stormed the community on Friday night, while two of the attackers were also reported killed during a pursuit by security forces. Their identities were immediately revealed as plateau local indigenes.
The Plateau State Police Command later confirmed that the incident was linked to a cattle-rustling operation by criminal elements who invaded Bong/Kook village in the early hours of Jan. 2.
According to sources, a joint team of Army troops, police, NSCDC and vigilantes pursued the attackers, who shot and killed seven community members to facilitate their escape before abandoning the rustled cattle.
Crucially, security forces and community accounts indicate that the livestock involved did not belong to Fulani pastoralists, nor were the victims members of Fulani communities.
When the attackers are “from within”, unlike many previous attacks in Plateau that are quickly framed along ethnic or religious fault lines, preliminary accounts indicated that this incident was not carried out by Fulani bandits instead the Genocide was perpetrated by Christians attacking fellow Christians.
This fact, was at the heart of the wider silence surrounding the tragedy. But beyond the tragic loss of lives, the incident raises uncomfortable questions that Plateau State government, opinion leaders and advocacy groups, religious leaders have often avoided. This single fact fundamentally alters the usual narrative, yet it is precisely why the attack risks being quietly buried under the familiar label of “unknown gunmen.”
In the Plateau’s long-running cycle of violence, attacks attributed to Fulani bandits or framed as religiously motivated often trigger swift outrage, high-profile condemnations and emotionally charged narratives. By contrast, incidents such as the Qua’an-Pan killings are routinely reduced to brief police reports describing the assailants simply as “gunmen,” with little sustained attention or follow-up.
Seven lives lost in Bong village are no less valuable than lives lost anywhere else in Plateau. Yet history suggests that this tragedy may not attract mass protests, loud press conferences or emotionally charged rhetoric branding it as “genocide.” There are unlikely to be widely publicised, politicized, internationalized through symbolic mass burials or sustained media campaigns because the victims do not fit into an established narrative of persecution or Christian Genocide.
The killings, therefore, risk becoming just another statistic acknowledged briefly and then forgotten.This selective outrage is dangerous. It sends a signal that some victims deserve global attention while others do not, depending on who is accused of committing the crime.
The police said security operatives pursued the attackers, recovered the rustled cows and intensified deployment in the area. While this response is commendable, Plateau residents have heard similar assurances countless times. When it was the Fulani’s that were attacked, the security agencies will say they recovered rustled livestock and they are intensifying efforts to locate the owner, when in the real sense the owner has been killed. What remains largely absent is accountability.
Too often, attackers vanish into the shadows, investigations drag on, and arrests are never announced. Even when arrest happened, the government and community leaders always come in the defense of the criminals and asked for the immediate release. In most cases, communities are left with grief, fear and a growing sense that justice depends not on the crime committed, but on the identity of those involved.
Reducing every Plateau killing to a single ethnic or religious explanation does not protect communities; it weakens them. It masks criminality, shields perpetrators who operate within communities, and undermines genuine peacebuilding efforts.
Violence in Plateau is complex. Criminal gangs, communal disputes, reprisal or revenge attacks and economic crimes such as cattle rustling all intersect. Ignoring this complexity in favour of emotionally convenient narratives only ensures that killings continue unchecked.
The Bong village attack demands the same level of seriousness, investigation and condemnation as any other mass killing in Plateau State. Lives were lost. Families were shattered. Fear has been reignited. Justice should not depend on whether the attackers are labelled Fulani, Muslim or “unknown gunmen.” Every criminal act must be pursued with equal determination, and every victim must matter.
Blood without outrage: inside Qua’an-Pan attack and the silence that shields local perpetrators
Troops arrest terrorist kingpin, ammunition courier, logistics supplier in Kaduna
By Zagazola Makama
Troops of the Joint Task Force North West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA (OPFY), have arrested a suspected terrorist kingpin, intercepted an ammunition courier and apprehended a suspected terrorist logistics supplier in separate intelligence-led operations across Kaduna State.
The operations, conducted on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, targeted terrorist hideouts, supply routes and support networks in Kubau, Igabi and Birnin Gwari Local Government Areas of the state.
In the early hours of the day, troops of Sector 1 conducted a clearance operation at Dabar Dabo, identified as a known terrorist hideout in Kubau LGA.
During the operation, the troops arrested a suspected terrorist kingpin and two other members of his syndicate at the hideout.
The three suspects were taken into military custody for further investigation and intelligence exploitation.
In a separate operation on the same day, troops of Sector 1, acting on credible intelligence concerning the movement of ammunition, arrested a 50-year-old woman suspected of serving as an ammunition courier in Igabi LGA.
The suspect was allegedly found in possession of 300 rounds of ammunition concealed inside a bag.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect had travelled from Zamfara State to Lafia, where she allegedly received the ammunition for onward delivery to terrorist elements operating around Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State.
The suspect and recovered ammunition have been secured in military custody as investigations continue to establish her network and intended recipients.
Later the same day, troops of Sector 1, working with a community vigilante group, apprehended another suspected terrorist logistics supplier in Birnin Gwari LGA.
During preliminary interrogation and a search of the suspect, troops recovered four communication devices suspected to have been used in connection with terrorist activities.
The suspect and recovered devices were also taken into military custody for further investigation.
The series of operations highlights the growing focus of Operation FANSAN YAMMA on dismantling the support structures that sustain terrorist groups, including their command networks, ammunition couriers, communication channels and logistics suppliers.
The successful interception of the ammunition consignment also represents a significant disruption to the movement of military-grade supplies into terrorist operating areas in Kaduna State.
Operation FANSAN YAMMA has continued to intensify intelligence-led operations across the North-West to disrupt terrorist networks, deny criminal elements freedom of action and prevent the movement of arms, ammunition and other logistics across the Joint Operations Area.
The Joint Task Force has also acknowledged the support of members of the public and urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements and activities to the nearest security agency.
Troops arrest terrorist kingpin, ammunition courier, logistics supplier in Kaduna
U.S. Air Force C-17 delivers military equipment to Nigerian Air Force under FMS agreement
By Zagazola Makama
A United States Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft has delivered military equipment to the Nigerian Air Force as part of an ongoing foreign military sales agreement between the two countries.
The development was announced on Thursday by the official X handle of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), which described the delivery as a demonstration of the growing security partnership between the United States and Nigeria.
AFRICOM said the equipment was delivered over the weekend and would support Nigeria’s efforts to counter terrorism and other security threats in the region.
“Partnership in action,” AFRICOM said, noting that the equipment formed part of a foreign military sales agreement designed to further the U.S.-Nigeria defence partnership.
The command said the delivery would aid Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts, particularly as the country continues to confront persistent threats from terrorist and insurgent groups.
The latest delivery comes amid increasing security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States, with both countries strengthening collaboration in intelligence, training, equipment and other areas aimed at improving Nigeria’s capacity to tackle terrorism.
The use of a U.S. Air Force C-17 for the delivery also underscores the logistical component of the bilateral defence relationship, enabling the movement of military equipment directly in support of Nigeria’s operational requirements.
Nigeria has continued to seek enhanced international partnerships as its armed forces sustain operations against terrorist and criminal networks across the North-East, North-West and other conflict-affected parts of the country.
AFRICOM’s announcement signals continued U.S. support for Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen its military capabilities and confront terrorism, while reinforcing Washington’s broader security partnership with Abuja.
U.S. Air Force C-17 delivers military equipment to Nigerian Air Force under FMS agreement
Troops engage suspected local militias, soldier wounded during clearance operation in Plateau
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Sector 8, Operation ENDURING PEACE (OPEP), have engaged suspected local militia elements in a fierce firefight during a clearance operation at Kogul Village in Muko District, Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The operation, conducted between Sept. 8 and 9, followed reports of arson, destruction of farmlands and the expulsion of residents from the community.
During the operation, the troops established contact with the suspected militias and engaged them in a fierce firefight, forcing the criminals to withdraw into the forest.
A soldier, Pte. Husseini Ibrahim, sustained a gunshot wound to his right leg during the encounter and was evacuated to General Hospital, Mangu, for medical attention.
Troops subsequently exploited the general area in an effort to locate and arrest the fleeing criminals and recover their weapons.
However, no further contact was established before the troops returned to base, while operations to track the fleeing suspects remain ongoing.
Troops engage suspected local militias, soldier wounded during clearance operation in Plateau
Troops arrest terrorist kingpin, ammunition courier, logistics supplier in Kaduna
U.S. Air Force C-17 delivers military equipment to Nigerian Air Force under FMS agreement
Troops repel terrorist infiltration attempt on Pulka base, kill one
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