The Chakfem Youth Movement (C.Y.M) has raised the alarm over fresh attacks on villages in Chakfem Chiefdom, Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, which left several people dead, thousands displaced and communities destroyed.
Speaking at a press briefing in Jos on Friday, August 22, 2025, the group’s Youth Grassroots Mobiliser, Paul Yakbang, said armed Fulani militias invaded multiple communities on the night of Monday, August 18, in what he described as “a well-coordinated and premeditated assault.”
According to him, the attackers stormed Manden, Tim, Mhidihin, Jibin, Jiblang, Koppang and Jilem, simultaneously, killing 12 people, injuring three, and displacing over 3,000 residents. Houses were burnt, livestock stolen, and properties worth millions destroyed.
“The massacres are not spontaneous but a calculated attempt to dispossess our people of their ancestral lands and alter the demographic structure of our homeland,” Yakbang said.
Among the dead were women, the elderly, and a four-month-old baby.
The youths also recalled earlier attacks in July and August on Kabung, Manja and Muko District, where 10 lives were lost and more than 200 cows rustled.
While commending the state government for swiftly deploying security operatives and providing relief materials, the group appealed for more decisive action. They demanded permanent security posts in all vulnerable villages, improved road networks for faster emergency response, and stronger telecommunications coverage to help communities call for help during invasions.
Other demands include establishing a mobile police station, deploying Agro Rangers along border areas with Quaan-Pan, Bokkos and Nasarawa State, and rebuilding destroyed villages to allow displaced residents including students to return home.
Yakbang stressed that peace cannot exist without justice and called for the arrest and prosecution of perpetrators of the violence.
“We reaffirm our determination to work with government and security agencies to defend our land, heritage and dignity. But our people must not be left to perish in silence,” he said.