2023 Mangu violence

Between 15 and 16 May 2023, more than one hundred people were killed in attacks on villages in Mangu Local Government Area, Plateau State, Nigeria. The attacks were carried out by Fulani herder gunmen against predominantly Christian farming communities, part of a longstanding pattern of conflict in Central and North-West Nigeria over land and resource access between farmers and herders. According to reporting, the immediate trigger cited by locals was an incident in which a farmer's cattle destroyed a Fulani man's banana plantation.

The violence began at approximately 2:00 AM local time on 15 May 2023, when large numbers of Fulani gunmen attacked and burned multiple villages, including Kubwat and Fungzai, where 28 and 9 people were reportedly killed respectively. Women and children were reported among the dead. Assailants used guns and machetes, and set houses and crops ablaze.

Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong condemned the killings and pledged to arrest those responsible. Local authorities declared a 24-hour curfew, which residents criticized as ineffective. By 18 May, local authorities told the Associated Press that at least 80 people had died and that at least 7 suspects had been arrested.

On 17 May, Solomon Maren, House of Representatives member for Mangu LGA, stated that over 100 people, mostly women and children, had died over the preceding two days, alongside widespread destruction of homes and crops. Maren criticized the administration of then-President Muhammadu Buhari for failing to prevent such attacks.

On 22 May, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) reported that approximately 130 people had been killed over the preceding week, about 1,000 buildings had been burned, and roughly 22 villages had been affected. CAN president and Archbishop Daniel Okoh condemned the violence and called for it to end. Joseph Gwankat, head of the Mwaghavul Development Association, estimated the death toll at more than 200 and said approximately 20,000 people had been displaced; he also said at least 125 bodies had been buried. The fighting reportedly cut off access to some villages.

In the aftermath, on 21 May, Fulani militants on motorcycles passed through the town of Daika in Panyam District and opened fire on a group of young men, killing four. On 25 May, church leaders led approximately 250 protesters in Jos to demand government action against the ongoing violence.

No named individuals have been publicly charged or convicted according to available reporting; local authorities reported the arrest of at least 7 unnamed suspects.