Young people in the Middle Belt report 700 deaths and 471,820 displaced people in six months and ask for urgent intervention – THIS UPDATE

By Ayo Kehinde

The youth wing of the Conference of Indigenous Ethnic Community Development Associations (CONECDA) has raised fresh concerns over the worsening security situation in Nigeria’s Central Belt, claiming that more than 700 people were killed and another 471,820 displaced in coordinated attacks in 15 states between January and June 2026.

Presenting its semi-annual security report in Jos on Thursday, the group said violence in the past six months has left more than 325 injured, more than 350 kidnapped and at least 60 communities looted, warning that continued attacks threaten the survival of indigenous communities in the region.

“Our ancestors are being wiped out,” the group said, describing the reported attacks as a systematic campaign against indigenous ethnic communities in the Middle Belt and adjacent areas.

Addressing journalists, CONECDA Youth Wing President, Comrade Paul Joshua Dekete, said the attacks affected communities in Kwara, Kogi, Niger, South Kebbi, South Kaduna, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba, South Borno and South Yobe.

According to the report, Plateau and Benue states recorded the highest number of casualties during the period under review, with over 250 deaths each.

The organization said Plateau recorded around 198 deaths in Bokkos, over 30 in Angwan Rukuba, along with attacks in Barkin Ladi, Riyom and Jos South, displacing around 1,820 residents.

In Benue, he said attacks in Guma, Kwande, Logo, Ukum, Apa and Katsina-Ala had killed over 250 people and displaced about 450,000 people.

The group also cited the June 13 attack in Yelwata, claiming that around 200 people were killed in the assault.

CONECDA further said Southern Kaduna recorded more than 40 deaths and over 150 kidnappings in Kauru, Kachia and Kajuru local government areas, including the kidnapping of a Catholic priest in Karku.

The report also states that more than 60 people were killed in attacks linked to Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgents in Madagali and Hong Local Government Areas of Adamawa State.

In Taraba state, the group said more than 20 people were killed in Wukari and Takum, while it said attacks involving bandits, kidnappers and insurgents in Niger, Nasarawa, Kogi, Kwara, Bauchi, Gombe, FCT, South Kebbi, South Borno and South Yobe caused more than 80 additional deaths.

Rejecting descriptions of the violence as clashes between farmers and herders, the youth body said the attacks constituted a deliberate campaign to displace indigenous people from their ancestral lands.

“This is not a conflict between herders and farmers. It is a deliberate plan to wipe out indigenous ancestors and occupy our traditional lands, hills, valleys, churches, mosques and places of worship,” Dekete said.

The organization accused the government and security agencies of failing to prevent repeated attacks despite what it described as earlier intelligence warnings.

According to the group, its Conflict Early Warning and Rapid Response System (CEWERS) issued warnings before the attacks in Bokkos, Barkin Ladi and Yelwata, but authorities allegedly failed to intervene.

He also cited delayed security responses, poor intelligence gathering, inadequate policing in vulnerable communities and what he described as government inaction, arguing that official responses have been limited to convictions without significant arrests, prosecutions or adequate humanitarian support for displaced people.

Among its demands, CONECDA called on the federal government to officially declare the attacks as genocide, impose a state of emergency in all affected states, arrest and prosecute the alleged perpetrators and sponsors, establish Community Joint Task Force (CJTF) structures from headquarters to department level in collaboration with security agencies, and provide immediate relief and resettlement for the 471,820 internally displaced persons identified in its report.

The group also urged communities to mount legal self-defense, saying residents can no longer remain vulnerable while waiting for government intervention.

He also warned that traditional rulers who allegedly collaborate with the attackers will be held accountable.

Issuing a 30-day ultimatum, CONECDA said the federal government must act decisively to stop the violence or face prolonged peaceful protests in the 15 states affected every “Black Thursday.”

The group argued that the Middle Belt could no longer endure what it described as a growing humanitarian and security crisis.

The casualty figures, displacement statistics and allegations contained in the report are claims made by CONECDA’s youth wing and have not been independently verified.

Furthermore, the group’s definition of the attacks as “genocide” reflects its position and was not determined by any competent judicial or international authority.