By joshua 
Wanton savagery in Nigeria: The unknown fate of a 35 year old man
While recent reports from Nigeria, Black Africa’s most populous country, continue to highlight horrendous killings of defenceless people in their hundreds, underlying untold stories of some of the survivals remain in the underbelly.
As grieving communities continually bury their loved ones almost on weekly basis, investigations reveal more horrendous clandestine activities of the authorities, who go extreme lengths in ensuring that some of the survivors are silenced, to prevent them from revealing what they saw and know.
Such is the sad story of 35 year old, though not an indigene, Michael Izuchukwu Cletus, who lost his entire blood relations and family members in Fulani herders unprovoked attack on a community, in Plateau, a state in North Central Nigeria, as senseless and cruel.
Michael Izuchukwu Cletus, an expert in digital Media marketing, was born in Kaduna State, North West Nigeria, is an indigene of Enugu, South East Nigeria, a Christian, has remained a critique of Government and security agencies of complacency in their handling of the growing level of insecurity in Fulani herders attack in the Northern parts of the country, particularly, Plateau State.
His criticism over time of what he considered an ethnic cleansing seems to have pitched him against certain vested interests, thus making him and his family vulnerable, an action that seems to have played out in the recent Riyom herders attack that wiped off his whole family.
Micheal’s father and his family, a Christian, had long sojourned in Riyom for decades, established a Patent Medicine store, built a small house for him and his household. Unfortunately, all of these are history as the recent attack on the community has left all that could be traceable to Michael as now a past.
With the state thrown into mourning yet again last Friday, 27 victims of a deadly attack in Riyom Local Government Area were buried in a mass burial ceremony.
Military personnel were however rather more concerned with locating the whereabouts of one of the survivors, who apparently witnessed the conspiracy orchestrated by suspected state actors in conjunction with the perpetrators of the deadly attack
At the mass burial that was attended by grieving families, friends and government officials, security operative went all out, seeking the arrest of the 35 year old, who from his place of hiding, witnessed the exchange of information, logistics and weapons between the attackers and national military personnel.
The victims of the attack, mostly farmers from Bindi-Jebbu community were killed by suspected Fulani militia who invaded the village in the early hours of July 15, 2025.
While the wails of anguish echoed across the burial ground, as reported by one of Nigeria’s national newspapers (Saturday PUNCH), with families and friends of deceased persons lamenting their loss, the authories were more concerned about identifying the now beleaguered man, who from our findings has been forced to seek refuge in yet unknown faraway place, for fear of being summarily executed, if found.
While the latest mass burial was attended by grieving families, friends, and government officials, no one is being fooled that the occurrence will not be the last in a deadly game of mass extermination and government collusion that has led to millions in displacement of people from their ancestral homes in Nigeria.
This time around, the victims, mostly farmers from Bindi-Jebbu community were murdered by gunmen suspected to be Fulani militia who invaded the village in the early hours of July 15, 2025.
During the burial, Chairman of Riyom local government area (LGA), Bature Shuwa, decried the persistent attacks on rural communities in the area, describing the killings as senseless and cruel.
Addressing mourners, Shuwa said, “People of Bindi-Jebu and the greater Riyom community, we are gathered here today in unspeakable grief, hearts heavy with sorrow, to mourn our brothers and sisters—27 precious lives cut down in a cruel and senseless act of violence.
“As your chairman, I stand with you not only in leadership but in deep mourning. I cannot begin to imagine the pain, the silence in your homes, or the weight of the empty spaces left behind.”
Yet, the whereabouts of the man that saw it all, and who is capable of giving insight into what many would like to know remains unknown.
While the search for him continue, unconfirmed information however has it that he may have into hiding with help from sympathetic persons, following several threats to his life.