When the Community is Handicapped: The Bokkos Attacks and the Struggle for Security
By Dominic Gwaman Datong
Sunday 13th April, 2025.
In the early hours and dusks of recent weeks, Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State once again came under terrorist siege — a brutal reminder of the insecurity that continues to define rural life in Nigeria. Homes were torched, lives were lost, and entire communities were thrown into mourning. But this is no longer news. The tragedy is in its familiarity.
These attacks follow a known pattern: surging during the planting season and peaking around harvest, when agrarian communities are most exposed. They are not isolated incidents; they are part of a recurring pattern of violence that both state and federal governments have struggled to address effectively.
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The Illusion of Shared Responsibility
The mantra that “security is everyone’s business” has become a national cliché, often repeated but rarely interrogated. In reality, communities are not only excluded from participating in their own defense — they are systematically restrained from doing so.
Citizens are prohibited by law from owning firearms, while the very terrorists that torment them brandish assorted weaponry with reckless abandon. In many cases, these groups display their arms openly on social media, taunting state authority and spreading fear with digital impunity. Yet, there is a glaring absence of any robust, proactive national strategy to disarm or disrupt them.
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What the State Government Has Tried to Do
In Plateau State, the Governor has taken visible steps to respond within the boundaries of his constitutional limitations. These include:
The establishment of the Plateau Security and Information Centre, which collates information from the public through a toll-free line, escalates the information as necessary, and documents the data for analysis to improve intelligence and inform policy decisions.
Procurement of surveillance drones to enhance situational awareness and provide real-time data for early intervention.
The revitalization of Operation Rainbow, a local security initiative focused on early warning and community defense.
The Plateau State Peace Building Agency, which engages with local communities, fostering dialogue, and encouraging peaceful coexistence to mitigate tensions that could escalate into violence.
While these initiatives reflect the Governor’s commitment to improving security within the limits of his power, it is important to note that the success of these efforts is limited without the necessary firepower to deter the heavily armed groups that are causing these repeated attacks. Despite ongoing efforts to facilitate peace, intelligence, and early-warning systems, these measures are no substitute for the military-grade force required to address the violent insurgents wreaking havoc on local communities.
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Bokkos Is Not an Outlier — It Is a Symptom
What happened in Bokkos is not an isolated occurrence. It is part of a widespread and persistent pattern of insecurity that continues to escalate across Nigeria. From Zamfara to Sokoto, Kaduna to Benue, Niger to Borno, and now Edo, communities have suffered repeated attacks with terrifying consistency. Farms are abandoned, schools are closed, entire populations are displaced — all under the shadow of relentless violence.
In all these places, the script is eerily familiar: terrorists arrive heavily armed, often unchallenged, targeting vulnerable agrarian communities. Federal security deployments arrive late, if at all. Arrests are rare. Convictions even rarer. And like Bokkos, many of these communities have cried for help for years, with little sustained response.
These are not isolated incidents; they are a reflection of a broader, systemic insecurity that continues to spread across the country. The recurring nature of these attacks demonstrates the severity and widespread scope of the problem. Together, they signal that Nigeria’s rural belt is under siege. And the persistence of these incidents across multiple states makes one thing clear — this is not a state failure; it is a national failure.
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The Dangerous Slide into Ethnic Tagging
Ethnic profiling has begun to take root across the country, and it is spreading rapidly. The criminal activities of a small faction of Fulani herdsmen have led to the unfortunate generalization of an entire ethnic group as violent criminals. While there is no doubt that some individuals of Fulani origin are involved in these heinous acts, the growing tendency to profile all Fulani people as perpetrators is deeply dangerous.
The failure of the security agencies to effectively identify and target the true criminals is exacerbating the situation. This failure to address the criminal elements within the Fulani community has serious consequences for our collective security. It not only undermines national peace, but it also places peaceful Fulani individuals at significant risk. Many innocent Fulani persons, who live in harmony with their neighbors, now find themselves caught in a web of suspicion and hostility.
This trend of ethnic tagging is dangerous and divisive. History shows us that such practices have led to tragic outcomes in other parts of the world, most notably in Rwanda, where ethnic dehumanization led to genocide. If we allow this narrative to continue unchecked, we risk not only escalating violence but also further fracturing the unity of this nation.
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Why State Policing Is No Longer Optional
The refusal to institutionalize state police defies reason. Nations with federal structures far more complex than Nigeria have adopted decentralized policing models with measurable success. For instance, India, a federal country with a far more complex system than Nigeria, has successfully decentralized its policing. While the federal government oversees national security, states have their own police forces responsible for maintaining law and order within their jurisdictions. Each state’s police force is empowered to handle local issues, which allows for quicker, more localized responses to crime and violence. This decentralized system ensures that police forces are attuned to the unique needs of each region, a model that Nigeria could adapt to address its growing security challenges.
It is both contradictory and cruel to hold state governors responsible for insecurity without giving them the authority to act. The demand for state policing is no longer a policy preference; it is a constitutional imperative.
One is left wondering — why is this such a heavy burden for any federal government to approve? Is it fear of losing control? Or is it a deeper unwillingness to empower regions to secure themselves? Either way, the cost is being paid in blood.
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Conclusion: A Nation at a Crossroads
The story of Bokkos is not just about terror — it is about a system that cripples its people’s ability to survive. Communities are watching their homes burn, their children die, and their lands be taken — all while being told to stay within the law.
The question is no longer if the current security structure is working. It is not. The real question is whether we are bold enough to reform it.
If we continue down this path, the next Bokkos is inevitable. But if we act with courage — constitutional, political, and moral — we may yet save this nation from itself.
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