Bandits kill 3 in reprisal to shooting of fulani youths by Berom militia in Plateau

By: Zagazola Makama

Three persons were killed in renewed attacks on communities in Plateau State following the shooting of two Fulani youths in Jos South Local Government Area (LGA), as tensions continue to escalate in a cycle of reprisal violence between pastoral and farming communities.

The latest killings occurred on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, during coordinated attacks on Jol community in Riyom LGA and Gero in Gyel District of Jos South LGA, where several residents, including Pius Luka Dida, Markus Danladi, Peter and Acham Ayuba, lost their lives.

The Berom Youths Moulder-Association (BYM) condemned the attacks, describing them as acts of sustained terror against indigenous communities, and demanded the proscription of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) and the prosecution of its leaders.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Rwang Tengwong, the group accused MACBAN of complicity in the violence and faulted its leadership over claims that Berom persons attacked Fulani communities.

The BYM leader, Mr. Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, described the killings as “a grim reminder of the sustained and systematic terror being unleashed on indigenous communities of Plateau State.”

The group also alleged that armed herders destroyed dry-season farmlands in Kwi community, resulting in economic losses estimated at over ₦14 million, and called for compensation to victims’ families and the deployment of additional security personnel.

However, a check by Zagazola Makama indicated that the Jan. 6 attacks followed the killing of a Fulani youth and the shooting of another in Jos South earlier the same day.

The latest demand by Berom youths for the arrest of Fulani leaders emerged but did not reference the near-simultaneous shooting of Fulani youths in Jos South, an omission that reflects the deeply polarized narratives driving the conflict.

According to security sources, two Fulani youths Zakariya Abdullahi and Jibrin Musa, were ambushed around 8:00 p.m. while returning from Gero village in Jos South LGA. Abdullahi was killed on the spot, while Musa sustained gunshot injuries and was rushed to a hospital for treatment.

The attack was attributed to an ambush carried out by suspected Berom militia, which the victim described as unprovoked. The attack occurred within the same axis where later retaliatory violence was reported.

Again, the incident fits an established pattern in Plateau State, where attacks on one group are quickly followed by reprisals against another, deepening communal mistrust.

The latest violence followed the Dec. 31, 2025, attack on Bum community in Chugwi area of Vwang District, Jos South LGA, where at least seven farmers were killed in their homes and farmlands, despite earlier security alerts warning of possible attacks.

That incident was linked to earlier shootings on Dec. 27, 2025, when five Fulani youths were attacked near Con Filling Station along Bukuru Express Road while returning from Bukuru Cattle Market. The victims sustained critical injuries, with the attackers suspected to be members of a Berom militia.

The cycle of violence further intensified after a Dec. 16, 2025, attack on an illegal mining site at Tosho community in Barkin Ladi LGA, where 12 miners were killed and three others abducted by armed Fulani bandits. The attack reportedly followed incidents of cattle rustling, including the theft of 137 cattle in Nding community on Dec. 12, and livestock poisoning across Jos East and Riyom LGAs.

Subsequent reprisals included the killing of four children in Dorong village, Foron District, Barkin Ladi LGA, which residents described as a Fulani reprisal attack, as well as assaults on Gero village that resulted in deaths, injuries and loss of livestock.

Zagazola note that unresolved issues such as cattle rustling, farmland destruction, livestock poisoning and targeted killings on both sides remains key triggers for retaliatory attacks, leaving rural communities increasingly vulnerable across Plateau State.

Without a comprehensive, even-handed security response that addresses armed militias, criminal networks, and underlying economic disputes across Plateau State, Zagazola warn that retaliatory attacks will likely continue. Only decisive action that combines impartial law enforcement, accountability, conflict-sensitive governance and protection of vulnerable communities is likely to break the pattern now gripping Plateau State.

Bandits kill 3 in reprisal to shooting of fulani youths by Berom militia in Plateau