Zagazola warns of fresh reprisal attacks in Plateau 

Security analyst Zagazola Makama has warned that Plateau State could face another wave of reprisal attacks if authorities fail to act swiftly on intelligence reports.

Makama said credible intelligence indicates that armed groups are mobilising for coordinated attacks around the Fan and Foron areas.

In a post on his X handle, he warned that this development followed the rustling of dozens of cattle from Ganawuri, Vom and Riyom communities.

According to him, the groups have allegedly traced where the stolen cattle are being kept along the Foron–Fan corridor and are planning simultaneous attacks to recover them.

He warned that such moves could lead to heavy casualties and destabilise large parts of the state.

Makama identified the Mangu–Barkin Ladi boundary and the Bisichi–Foron corridor as emerging flashpoints that require constant surveillance and patrols.

“The danger signs are clear. There is a risk that reprisals could happen at any moment if urgent preventive measures are not taken,” he said.

He urged the Federal Government and security agencies to intervene immediately and ensure the recovery and release of the rustled cattle, noting that cattle theft has often triggered wider communal violence in Plateau.

Makama also criticised the Plateau State Government, accusing it of maintaining a conspiracy of silence and failing to act openly to reduce tensions.

He said the state has wrongly treated dialogue with Fulani communities as selling out, instead of recognising it as a critical step towards peace.

He argued that Plateau faces two forms of banditry: local groups allegedly empowered to protect land but who have turned to criminal activity, and armed groups that carry out reprisal attacks after losing their livestock.

“There is always a dangerous silence around this matter while lives are at risk,” he warned, stressing that prevention should be the top priority.

Makama said the government must demonstrate zero tolerance for militia activity and criminal profiteering from cattle rustling, warning that failure to act could make the state appear complicit by omission.

“Lives are being wasted on a daily basis while the state government looks away,” he said, adding that mislabelling the crisis could worsen the situation if it is not handled “quickly and fairly.”

He called for sustained dialogue with community leaders on all sides, alongside intelligence-led security operations, noting that force alone has failed.

Makama urged the state government to convene inclusive talks involving traditional rulers, youths, women, farmers, pastoralists and security agencies, saying peace cannot be achieved by bullets alone.

“Plateau people deserved leadership that would prioritise lives over politics and action over silence,” he said.

Zagazola warns of fresh reprisal attacks in Plateau