The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has expressed concern over the continued killings in Plateau State despite the huge sums of money reportedly released as security votes by the state government.

Demanding greater accountability in the utilisation of the funds and measurable security outcomes, HURIWA said the disclosure that the state government released N18.9 billion in security votes in 2024 and another N17.28 billion between January and September 2025 could not be ignored against the backdrop of the continued attacks and killings across the state.

In the meantime, the Plateau State Government has declared an immediate dusk-to-dawn curfew across Barkin Ladi, Bokkos and Mangu Local Council Areas to maintain public order and curb the emerging security threats in the region.

In the curfew, which took effect on Monday, movement is restricted between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. until further notice, a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Joyce Lohya Ramnap, read.

Ramnap explained that Governor Caleb Mutfwang took the measure to allow law enforcement agencies to stabilise the area, protect lives, and prevent any breakdown of law and order within local communities.

In a similar development, the Northern Christian Association (NCA) has condemned the latest killings in Plateau State, warning that Nigerians must not become so accustomed to violence that the deaths of innocent citizens are treated as ordinary occurrences.

The association said the latest attacks, which reportedly claimed no fewer than nine lives across communities in the state, including a cleric going to church, underscored the need for the government and security agencies to move beyond reactive measures and prevent attacks before they occur.

In a statement yesterday, the NCA Chairman, Joseph Hayab, stressed that every life lost represented a human tragedy that should command the attention of the government and Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic, religious or political differences.

Meanwhile, the HURIWA National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement yesterday, asked the Plateau Government to explain how the funds had been deployed to protect citizens in the face of the acknowledged severity of killings and insecurity in the state.

The association’s position followed an analysis of state budget implementation reports, which showed that 10 states – Borno, Plateau, Ondo, Ebonyi, Katsina, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Edo, Bayelsa and Delta – could collectively spend about N140 billion on security in 2026 if the current spending pattern continued.

According to the analysis, the 10 states reportedly released about N80 billion in 2024, representing 72.2 per cent of the N110.8 billion budgeted for security votes, and reportedly released N87.87 billion from a collective provision of N127.36 billion in the first nine months of 2025 alone.

While clarifying that it was not accusing the government of diverting or misappropriating the funds, HURIWA argued that such substantial public expenditure on security created an obligation on the government to also demonstrate what the money had achieved.