Fulani Elder Says His Tribesmen Killed 46 Christians in Plateau Attack Despite His Desperate Pleas

A Fulani elder who has lived in the Hurti community of Bokkos Local Government Area, Plateau State, for more than three decades has revealed that the gunmen who killed 46 residents during a recent attack were members of his own tribe.

The elderly man, who is widely respected in the predominantly Christian community, made the disclosure in a video shared on Tuesday by journalist Masara Kim. Despite being Fulani and Muslim, he has long been regarded as part of the community due to his peaceful nature and close relationship with residents.

Recounting the harrowing events, he said the armed men spoke his dialect fluently, confirming their identity. He explained that he stepped forward during the invasion to confront the attackers and plead with them to spare the villagers he describes as “friends” and “family”.

According to him, the militants dismissed his appeals and threatened to kill him if he did not move out of their way. He said the assailants shoved him aside before unleashing heavy gunfire that lasted for hours, killing dozens and torching homes belonging to Christian residents.

What distressed him most, he said, was the knowledge that those carrying out the massacre were his own tribesmen — men he expected would listen to him but chose not to.

Notably, no Muslim or Fulani resident in the area was harmed during the attack. The pattern, he suggested, reinforces the religious targeting associated with Fulani militant violence in the Middle Belt, which differs from the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast and the banditry in the Northwest.

Describing the moment the attackers advanced, he said:
“I heard them speaking fluent Fulani language. They were discussing in the Fulani language, so I approached them and spoke to them in the same language. Women were running to my place, begging me to rescue them. If I had the power, I would have done so.”

He added that after being pushed aside, he fled to higher ground from where he watched the chaos unfold as gunfire echoed through the town.
“We all hid in one room while the shooting continued for a long time, killing plenty of people,” he recounted.

Authorities have yet to make an official statement on the elder’s claims, which add fresh emotional weight to one of the deadliest attacks recorded in Plateau State this year.