A Fulani elder who has lived in the Hurti community in the Manguna district of Bokkos Local Government Area, Plateau State, for more than three decades has recounted how the armed men who invaded the village and killed 46 people were members of his own tribe.
According to a report by Daily Post, this was revealed in a video shared on Tuesday by journalist Masara Kim Usman, in which the respected community leader described how his attempts to stop the attackers were rejected.
The elder said that although he is Fulani and Muslim, the assailants spoke the Fulani dialect fluently as they carried out the attack on Christian residents.
He said he stepped forward to confront the attackers, addressing them in their language and appealing for restraint.
He explained that terrified women and children ran to him for protection, hoping that his identity would persuade the gunmen to stop.
Despite his pleas, the attackers allegedly brushed him aside. He recalled them saying that nothing would stop them from completing their mission.
According to his account, the attackers pushed him away and then unleashed violence on the community, shooting indiscriminately and burning homes belonging to Christian residents.
He said that more than 46 people were killed and many homes and properties were destroyed.
The elder added that what hurt him the most was that the killers were his own tribesmen, refusing to listen to him even though he had lived with the victims “as friends and family” for 32 years.
A notable detail from his testimony is that no Muslim or Fulani resident of Hurti was harmed during the attack. Residents say this pattern reinforces concerns that many recent attacks in parts of the Middle Belt now appear to have a clear religious dimension.
They note that this contrasts sharply with violence in the Northeast and banditry in the Northwest, where armed groups often target both Muslims and non-Muslims without distinction.
The elder further said: “Women were coming to my place and begging me to rescue them. If I had the power to rescue them, I would have done so. I have been living with them for so many years and they have become my family. When they left, I went to the hills and watched the entire situation. Then they regrouped and started shooting. There was shooting all over the town. We all hid in one room while the shooting continued for a long time, killing many people.”
Killings in Plateau State have persisted for decades despite government intervention. The crisis has claimed thousands of lives, with many victims often buried in mass graves.
