Need to Probe Soldiers, Police Clash in Plateau

Following the recent allegations on social media that some individual operatives of one of Nigeria’s security forces were allegedly collaborating with bandits in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, which led to a clash between soldiers and police personnel in the area, Ejiofor Alike writes that the federal government should unravel the real cause of the clash With the unending allegations by victims of insecurity, especially in Benue and Plateau states that some individual security operatives aid the bandits terrorising several communities, it has become imperative for the federal government to set up a high-powered investigative panel to unravel the real cause of the recent clash between the troops of the Nigerian Army and police personnel in Plateau State. Despite the payment of the supreme price by their gallant colleagues at the theater of operations, some individual security operatives have been caught collaborating with the agents of terror. Some operatives sold arms and ammunition to bandits, while others aided the attackers and shielded them from arrests and prosecution. In several other cases, security operatives served as informants to terrorists by giving them information on movement of troops thereby exposing the troops to ambush. According to the various social media accounts of the October 20, 2026 clash between the troops of the Joint Task Force, Operation Enduring Peace, and police personnel, one of the security forces was said to have accused the operatives of an unnamed agency of collaborating with bandits in Bassa Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau State. However, neither the police authorities nor the military authorities confirmed any alleged collaboration between bandits and security personnel from any agency, and there has been no independent confirmation. But the allegation followed the same pattern of previous allegations by communities affected by armed herdsmen, who accused unscrupulous security personnel of aiding the perpetrators of insecurity. An earlier revelation by the indigenous youth groups in Plateau State that 151 villages were forcibly occupied by armed foreign herdsmen without the security agencies going after them had raised questions on the sincerity of the operatives in the fight against the bandits. Plateau Youth Associations from Atakar, Berom, Irigwe, Mwaghavwul, and Ron ethnic groups in the state had earlier released the names of some of the 151 occupied villages. Similarly, the people of Tiv resident in the United States of America under the aegis of the Mutual Union of Tiv in America (MUTA) had written a petition to the House of Representatives, alleging that herdsmen were taking over and renaming the ancestral lands abandoned by Tiv people sacked in parts of Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa states. With these allegations, security analysts say the security agencies should not feign ignorance of the identities and locations of the attackers. At a press conference held on October 21, 2026 at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council, Christian leaders representing indigenous youth organisations in Plateau State under the aegis of the Coalition of Plateau Indigenous Youth Nationalities (CPIYN) had called for an investigation into allegations of possible collaboration between individual security personnel and armed bandits terrorising their communities. The President of the Irigwe Youths Movement, Ezekiel Peter Bini, is the Chairman of the coalition. Other signatories include: President of the Berom Youths Moulder-Association, Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri; President of the Tarok Progressive Youths Association, Ambassador Miri Timnan Nyantau; and President of the Mwagavwul Youths, Jonathan Kyesmang Yusuf. The coalition accused security authorities of failing to adequately protect vulnerable communities from armed attacks. The group insisted on the continuation of joint security operations against armed groups. The reaction of the group was in response to a petition dated October 5, 2026, by Fulani organisations which claimed that joint security operations conducted by the Department of State Services (DSS), the Mobile Police Force, and Operation Rainbow were biased against Fulani communities. The Coalition of Plateau Indigenous Youth Nationalities condemned the petition, arguing that it could undermine security operations in communities that have experienced repeated attacks. There has been a sustained pattern of deadly violence in the state, where predominantly Christian farming communities have suffered attacks by armed militants and other unidentified gunmen. The statement by the coalition described a pattern in which armed men allegedly move cattle into farming communities, destroy crops, and attack settlements without any commensurate response by security operatives. The coalition said it had documented at least 152 hamlets, villages, and communities affected by such incidents. It condemned the demands of the Fulani leaders that joint operations should be discontinued. While insisting that security operations should not be discontinued, the coalition credited joint operations involving the DSS, Mobile Police, Operation Rainbow, and local security volunteers with arrests and a reduction in mass attacks and crop destruction. Several communities seeking justice believe that those responsible for killings have not been arrested and prosecuted due to alleged collaboration between some individual security operatives and the rampaging killers. According to various social media accounts, the recent clash between soldiers and policemen in Plateau State occurred after operatives of one of the security forces were allegedly found in the midst of the attackers. In the statement issued by the Joint Task Force, Operation Enduring Peace, the military cited a viral video showing an encounter between its troops and personnel of the Nigeria Police Force in Bassa LGA. According to the statement issued by its Media Information Officer, Captain Chinonso Oteh, the troops were responding to a distress call over sporadic gunfire and the killing of a resident when the encounter with the police personnel occurred. According to the statement, on October 20, 2026, troops of Sector 3, Operation Enduring Peace, received a distress call reporting sporadic gunfire in Mai Farin Moto, Maraban Dere and adjoining communities in Bassa, alongside reports of the killing of one Adamu Suleiman. The task force said the troops were deployed to assess the security situation, establish the circumstances surrounding the incident, prevent escalation and protect lives and property. “On arrival, the troops sought to engage the police personnel operating in the area to clarify the situation and facilitate a coordinated security response. “Regrettably, the interaction was characterised by a lack of cooperation from some personnel, despite efforts to de-escalate tensions and maintain operational discipline”, the statement said. While urging the members of the public and media practitioners to refrain from disseminating unsubstantiated accounts capable of undermining public confidence or disrupting relations among security agencies, the statement was however silent on the allegations that individual operatives of an agency were collaborating with the bandits. The explanation that some personnel failed to cooperate without giving details of the affected agency and personnel raised further speculations. Victims of insecurity have always alleged collaboration between bandits and some individual security operatives, who are profiting from insecurity that have claimed the lives of gallant members of the security agencies. The federal government should investigate and find out if the recent clash between the two forces had any link with such alleged collaboration. The clash should not be allowed to be swept under the carpet.