Seven victims of a recent attack in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State have been laid to rest in a mass burial that doubled as a protest against what residents describe as years of unrelenting violence and neglect.

The coffins were arranged in a row at a primary school in Miango, where hundreds of mourners, community leaders and youth groups gathered in sombre silence before breaking into chants demanding justice and protection. The ceremony came barely a week after nine people killed in a separate attack in Dorowa Babuje, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, were buried, deepening fears of a worsening security crisis across Plateau’s rural communities.

Mourners held placards with messages such as “Irigwe lives matter,” “Stop this Christian genocide,” “End Christian Genocide in Nigeria,” and “Listen to the cries of our widows.” Many wept openly as the names of the dead were read out, while others knelt beside the coffins, praying and calling on authorities to act.

National President of the Irigwe Youths Movement, Ezekiel Bini, said the community was exhausted by repeated attacks and mass burials. He accused security agencies and political leaders of failing to protect vulnerable villages and of downplaying what locals see as targeted killings.

Bini also criticised the arrest of Irigwe youths over alleged attacks on cattle, insisting that his people should not be scapegoated while gunmen who kill residents go unpunished. He warned that the community would no longer accept what he described as collective punishment over incidents they know nothing about.

The Paramount Ruler of the Irigwe ethnic nationality, His Royal Highness Ronku Aku, called the day “a dark day for our community” and linked the violence to disputes over open grazing. He urged authorities to end open grazing in order to stem clashes between farmers and herders, arguing that no traditional ruler can function without living subjects.

Chairman of Bassa Local Government Area, Joshua Riti, pledged closer collaboration with security agencies to track down the perpetrators and restore confidence among residents who now live in fear of further attacks.

Among those buried was Abbas Musa, a health officer with Bassa LGA and graduate of Enugu State University of Science and Technology, reportedly shot dead in his home. Five members of another family—Nancy Monday, Nuhu Isaiah, Henry Dah, Zongo Sunday and Tarma Monday—were said to have been followed into their bedrooms and killed by the assailants.

The killings have further inflamed tensions in Plateau’s fragile communities, where residents say they are trapped between grief, anger and a desperate plea for meaningful security reforms.