A Nigerian woman identified as Dorcas and her family were set ablaze and brutally killed in an attack by terrorists in Mangu, a town in Plateau State, on Tuesday.
According to a tweet by @cjabbe12, a friend of Dorcas, she was burned alive along with her family.
The tweet expressed grief and anger over the senseless violence that claimed the lives of innocent people.
The Mangu massacre is the latest in a series of violent attacks that have plagued Nigeria’s Middle Belt region, where clashes between farmers and herders over land and resources have escalated in recent years.
According to Amnesty International, at least 7,222 Nigerians were killed and 3,823 abducted as a result of 2,840 violent incidents between January and July 2022.
The Middle Belt, which includes the states of Adamawa, Benue, Kaduna, Taraba, and Zamfara, is also known as Nigeria’s food basket, as it produces most of the country’s crops and livestock.
However, the region has been suffering from insecurity, poverty, and environmental degradation, which have worsened the conflict between the different ethnic and religious groups.
The Nigerian government has been criticized for its failure to protect the lives and property of its citizens, especially in rural areas where the security forces are often absent or ineffective.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who took office in May 2023, has promised to make security a top priority of his administration and to provide better training, equipment, and pay for the security personnel.
However, many Nigerians remain skeptical and disillusioned with the government’s response to the crisis.
The Mangu massacre has sparked outrage and condemnation from various civil society groups, human rights activists, and religious leaders, who have called for justice for the victims and an end to the bloodshed in the Middle Belt.
They have also urged the government to address the root causes of the conflict, such as poor governance, corruption, impunity, and socio-economic inequality.
As Nigeria mourns the loss of Dorcas and her family, along with thousands of others who have perished in the Middle Belt violence, the question remains: how long will the killing continue?