By: AMINU DAHIRU YAHAYA HEIPANG (Now call- AMINU DAHIRU GURAMA)
A Survivor from Heipang, Barkin Ladi LGA, Plateau State massacre.
On September 9, 2001, I lost six members of my family including my grandfather, the Chief Imam of Heipang Jumma’at Mosque in an attack by our neighbours. But until now, our story has never been told.
I was there when it happened.
The early morning air had barely settled after the Friday crisis in Jos two days earlier. On Sunday, 9th September 2001, at about 2:00 pm after a long community leaders meeting on peace, an armed men stormed our community in Heipang, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area. The attackers, believed to be from the Berom ethnic group, went from house to house, killing and burning as they moved. They killed six members of my family, including my grandfather the spiritual leader of our community. Many others were killed that day. Our mosque was attacked. Our homes were destroyed. Our lives were shattered.
But the nation moved on.
No police came. No arrests were made. No public outrage. No national headlines. No human rights report. No one cared.
A Narrative of Silence:
Since that day, I’ve watched for over two decades as the media, government, and even humanitarian groups continued to push a single, narrow narrative that Christians are the only victims of religious violence in Nigeria.
This lie, or at best this selective truth, has been repeated so many times that it is now taken as fact.
We are told that Christians are under siege in the Middle Belt. But what about the Muslims who have died silently, without justice or recognition, in Plateau State and beyond?
Where are the headlines for:
1- The 700 Muslims killed in Yelwa in 2004?
2- The 150 Muslims slaughtered in Kuru Karama in 2010?
3- The 21 Muslims killed in Heipang in August 2023?
Or the countless others attacked in Barkin Ladi, Riyom, and Bassa? This is nothingbut tips of an iceberg.
Why are their names forgotten?
The Politics of Victimhood
There is a deliberate effort in parts of the media, civil society, and politics to promote a single narrative that of the Christian victim and the Muslim aggressor. While this may be true in some isolated cases, it is not the full story.
In Plateau State, especially in rural communities like mine, the Muslim population has repeatedly been:
Attacked in their homes,
Burned in their mosques,
Killed in broad daylight,
Displaced and left to suffer without aid.
Yet because many of these attacks happen quietly, away from the cameras, they are either ignored, labelled as "clashes," or reported with vague terms like "unknown gunmen."
Let me be clear: this is not a war of religion. But it is also not a conflict where only one side bleeds.
Media Bias and Double Standards:
The Nigerian media with some exceptions has played a dangerous role in shaping the public's perception of who the real victims are. Many reports only name Christian victims and rarely acknowledge Muslim suffering unless it fits a certain political narrative.
This selective reporting:
1- Erases the pain of entire communities
2- Fuels religious tensions
3- Undermines peacebuilding
4- Denies justice to Muslim victims
In my own case, the killing of my family was not mentioned in any national outlet. Not one name was reported. No pictures. No human rights inquiry. Not even a police investigation.
If I had not survived, no one would have remembered us at all.
What Justice Looks Like:
It’s not enough to call for peace. There can be no peace without truth. And there can be no truth without acknowledging the full spectrum of victims Muslim, Christian, or otherwise.
Justice means:
1- Recognizing Muslim victims in public records and the media
2- Investigating all religiously-motivated killings, regardless of who the victims are
3- Ending biased language like “clashes” when the victims are clearly from one side
4- Providing equal support, compensation, and resettlement for all displaced people
5- Encouraging Muslim survivors to document their stories and demand recognition
A Call to Conscience:
To my fellow Nigerians Christians, Muslims, and those of all faiths, I ask: can we truly claim to seek justice if we ignore the pain of our neighbours?
To the media, I say: report the truth, not just the version that fits your audience.
To the human rights community: if Muslim lives matter, prove it not just in slogans, but in your reports, your advocacy, and your funding.
To the government: protect all citizens or risk losing the trust of those you’ve neglected for too long.
And to my fellow Muslims who have suffered in silence: do not remain silent. Tell your stories. Record your losses. Demand your place in the national memory.
Because silence kills but truth can heal.
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Opinion