27 killed as gunmen attack Plateau community in night ride

No fewer than 27 persons, including women and farmers, lost have their lives on Monday as suspected armed herdsmen invaded the Bindi-Jebbu area of the Tahoss community in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The attackers reportedly stormed the village in the early hours, shooting sporadically and setting homes ablaze.

Many villagers sustained varying degrees of injuries and were rushed to different hospitals, including the Jos University Teaching Hospital and Plateau Hospital, for treatment.

Confirming the tragic development, the Chairman of Riyom LGA, Bature Shuwa, said he was on his way to the community and could not confirm the exact number of casualties yet.

Meanwhile, the National President of the Berom Youth Moulders Association, Dalyop Solomon, put the death toll at 27, adding that several others were injured.

According to Solomon, the victims’ bodies had been deposited at various hospitals ahead of a mass burial being planned by the community.

He disclosed that relevant security agencies had also been alerted to the incident.

At the time of this report, neither the Plateau State Police Command nor the Nigerian Army’s Operation Safe Haven had issued any official statement regarding the killings.

Multiple attempts to reach the state police spokesperson, DSP Alabo Alfred, were unsuccessful as his line remained unreachable.

This fresh attack adds to the growing list of violent assaults that have plagued Plateau State, particularly in recent months. Communities in Riyom, Barkin Ladi, Mangu, and Bokkos LGAs have faced relentless attacks often attributed to armed herdsmen targeting farming settlements.

Just last month, over 20 people were murdered in separate attacks in Mangu and Bokkos, while coordinated attacks across several villages on Christmas Eve left over 150 people dead.

Human Rights Watch and local civil society groups have consistently raised alarms over what they describe as targeted killings and a growing culture of impunity in Plateau State.

Despite the launch of 150 agro-rangers by the Plateau State Government last week to help protect rural communities, peace has remained elusive.

The State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, while commissioning the agro-rangers, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ending the bloodshed and called for urgent intervention from the federal government.