A prominent cleric and not more than twenty persons were slaughtered on Sunday night, June 11, 2023, in Riyom and Barkin Ladi Local Government Areas of Plateau State.
Report has it that the communities were attacked by a group of armed assailants who stormed the two local government areas in the day time and early night in what seems like a coordinated attack.
It is unknown whether the attack was a reprisal for the shooting of two herders in Fa’s village in Riyom LGA earlier on the same day. The two herders who were fatally shot were: Adam Ahmad (33) and Musa Ibrahim (23).
The two victims were ambushed on their way back with their herds after grazing. Unfortunately both died from the wounds they sustained from the gun shots.
The spokesperson for the Plateau State Police Command,Mr Alabo Alfred while confirming the incidence, assures the public that security forces are diligently handling the situation. He said authorities have launched an investigation into the attacks, aiming to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Mallam Bello Tafawa, the Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in Riyom LGA, queries the incessant attacks on herders in different communities across the state as unjustified.
He said the Association has taken steps to report the rampant attacks to Operation Safe Haven, a multi-security task force responsible for maintaining peace in Plateau State. Tafawa emphasised the community’s commitment to upholding the rule of law, urging others not to take matters into their own hands.
Rwang Tengwong, National Publicity Secretary of the Berom Youth Movement (BYM), verified the attacks on the affected communities. He disclosed that two individuals were killed in Rim village of Riyom Local Government Area, seven in Jol, eleven in Kwi, and a revered clergyman, Reverend Nicodemus Kim, lost his life in Gana-Ropp Barkin Ladi LGA. Tengwong revealed that the coordinated assaults occurred between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. In Kwi, the entire community of Hei-gwe was ravaged, and over a hundred farmlands were obliterated.
The BYM, deeply troubled by the escalating security situation, called upon both the federal and state governments to devise new strategies to address the ongoing crisis. They emphasised the crucial role of security personnel in safeguarding lives and property, urging them to fulfill their duties diligently.
Since 2001, Plateau State -known as the ‘Home of Peace and Tourism’ has barely witness any peace. The ethno-religious conflict in the state which has consumed thousands of souls of indigenous tribes and the Hausa-Fulani settlers, has degenerated into herder-famers clashes unabated. Violent and heartless attacks and counter attacks has brought farming activities to it kneels in communities in remote areas in the State.
