Plateau Community Alledges Troops Abandoned Them

A community leader in the Kwi District of Riyom Local Government Area has come forward with a devastating account of the Plateau State community attack that killed more than 25 people two weeks ago, and the role he says soldiers played in it.

John Bot, speaking to conflict journalist Masara Kim Usman, described how armed attackers besieged the village and killed residents, including women, children, and elderly people who could not flee in time.

According to Bot, the community made repeated, frantic calls to troops of Operation Enduring Peace stationed nearby as the attack unfolded. He says the response each time was the same: the soldiers could not come because their vehicles had no fuel.

"It was pathetic and sad that during the invasion of our community by Fulani terrorists, we made frantic calls to soldiers stationed less than two miles away, but they said they could not come because they did not have fuel in their trucks," Bot said.

He said he personally called the unit himself and received the identical answer.

"I personally called the team myself but got the same response. They refused to come, leaving us at the mercy of the terrorists who ended up killing 25 people, including a pastor, women, children and old people," he said.

What has left the community especially shaken is what Bot says happened once the danger had passed.

"Our village head was the first person to call the soldiers for help in the first minutes of the invasion, but the Unit Commander of Operation Enduring Peace, whose base is just outside the village, told him his trucks had no fuel, and he couldn't come," Bot said.

"But after the attack and the terrorists had safely retreated to their base, the Commander showed up with all his men, trucks, and motorcycles. So I wonder where they suddenly procured the fuel."

Bot stopped short of a direct accusation, but made clear where his suspicion lies.

"I don't want to accuse the soldiers of conniving with the terrorists, but all indications point towards such connivance," he said.

This is not an isolated account. Riyom and neighboring Barkin Ladi have been recurring flashpoints in a long-running cycle of attacks between farming communities and armed herder groups, with Operation Enduring Peace troops deployed across the area to respond to repeated violence.

For residents already living through years of this cycle, accusations that security forces failed them, or worse, looked away, cut especially deep.

As of this report, Operation Enduring Peace has not issued a public response to Bot's specific allegations. This account reflects the community's version of events, and any official statement from security authorities will be important context as this story develops.