Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Nigerian Bar Association in Plateau State has raised a grave alarm over what it describes as a complete breakdown of law and order, alleging that terrorists are openly attacking communities that are complying with government-imposed curfews across the state. The four branches of the association—Jos, Pankshin, Bukuru and Shendam—made the allegation on Monday, September 28, 2026, at a joint press conference held at the NUJ Secretariat in Jos. The text of the briefing was read by the Chairman of the NBA Jos Branch, Morgan Dung, alongside the chairmen of the Pankshin, Bukuru and Shendam branches.
The association said the continued killings in Mangu, Barkin Ladi, Riyom and Bokkos Local Government Areas had exposed the failure of government to protect lives and property. It specifically condemned the gruesome and sustained attacks carried out on citizens on a daily basis across Plateau State, noting that the most recent incidents had left in their trail deaths, injuries and displacement. But it was the timing of the attacks that the lawyers found most disturbing. "It is equally disturbing that in the wake of recent attacks and an imposition of curfew in the areas mentioned above, terrorists disrespected the curfew and freely attacked communities obeying the order," the NBA said. The association recalled that some community vigilantes in Kikyo village, Mangu Local Government Area, were killed at their duty post by terrorists during the curfew hours. Similar attacks were reported in Kantoma and Bin-Per villages in Mangu Local Government Area, as well as Kasa village, Wereh village, Ropp, Fan and Marit Districts in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area.
"This is an invitation to total anarchy and complete breakdown of law and order," the association declared. "The cycle of bloodletting perpetrated by these non-state actors paints a troubling picture of impunity on the one hand and a seeming complicity or helplessness of the state on the other." The NBA warned that when perpetrators of violence operate with impunity and evade justice, it sends a dangerous message that human life is expendable in Nigeria, and that citizens are fast losing faith in the ability of the state to protect them. It also lamented that some communities in Plateau State had been completely sacked over the decades, with their lands forcefully grabbed, occupied and renamed by invaders while survivors remained displaced.
The association cited Section 33 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees every person the right to life, and argued that the protection of lives and property is the most fundamental responsibility of government. It said the unabated cycle of violence unleashed on law-abiding citizens denigrates the social contract and undermines public confidence in the state. The NBA commended President Bola Tinubu for visiting Plateau State to condole with victims and for his push for state police, but called on the Federal Government to go further by sponsoring a constitutional amendment to move security to the Concurrent Legislative List, granting state governors greater operational control over security architecture within their states.
The association also demanded an investigation into the alleged delayed response of security agencies to attacks, with sanctions for personnel found culpable. It called for stronger security operations in affected communities, improved border surveillance and better coordination among security agencies. The NBA further urged the government to establish a military formation in the Pai River Game Reserve area, which it said had become a haven for bandits and terrorists operating around the borders of Plateau, Bauchi and Taraba States. On the judiciary, the association advocated expedited trials for terrorism-related offences, stiffer sanctions for lawyers who deliberately frustrate criminal proceedings, and greater transparency in the prosecution of terrorism suspects and their sponsors.
The NBA's intervention comes amid a sustained wave of violence that has devastated Plateau State in recent weeks. On September 26, gunmen killed at least 54 people in Zikke village, Bassa Local Government Area, in an attack that Amnesty International described as an "inexcusable security failure." The attack came barely two weeks after 52 people were killed in a similar assault in the same local government area. On September 24, two miners were killed at a mining site in Kworos Gangare, Barkin Ladi, while two others were killed at Nghar, Exland. On the same day, three people were killed at Gassa, Barkin Ladi. On September 23, gunmen abducted Hon. Denty Laven, a member of the Plateau State House of Assembly representing Pankshin South Constituency. The curfew imposed by the Plateau State Government in Mangu, Barkin Ladi and Bokkos Local Government Areas was meant to stem the violence, but the NBA's allegations suggest that it has instead become a trap for law-abiding citizens who obey it while terrorists ignore it.
The association's statement is a damning indictment of the security architecture in Plateau State. It highlights a fundamental contradiction: the government asks citizens to stay indoors for their own safety, but the terrorists who are supposed to be deterred by the curfew are the ones who move freely, attacking the very communities that are complying. The NBA's call for state police and greater state control over security reflects a growing conviction that the current federal arrangement is not working. The association praised Governor Caleb Mutfwang's administration for revamping the neighbourhood watch and Operation Rainbow, training 2,000 personnel, procuring security vehicles and motorcycles, and establishing a central monitoring centre in Jos. But it urged the state government to do more, including licensing Operation Rainbow and Neighbourhood Watch personnel to operate kinetic facilities under the supervision of frontline security agencies.
For the people of Plateau State, the NBA's statement is a reflection of their daily reality. They have buried their dead, fled their homes, and watched their farmlands and ancestral lands taken over by invaders. They have obeyed curfews, only to be attacked while they slept. They have called for help, only to see security personnel arrive after the attackers had fled. The association's call for accountability, prosecution of perpetrators, and comprehensive security reform is a demand for the government to do what it was elected to do: protect the lives and property of its citizens. Whether the government will heed that call remains to be seen. But for now, the NBA has made it clear that the situation in Plateau State is not just a security crisis. It is a constitutional crisis, a humanitarian catastrophe, and a betrayal of the social contract between the state and its people.
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