How killing of 12 Illegal miners in Barkin Ladi, linked to rustling of 171 livestock plateau

By: Zagazola Makama

The recent attack on an illegal mining site in Fann District, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, has again exposed the sustained fragility of security and the precarious balance between herders and local communities in the state.

On the night of 16 December 2025, gunmen, reportedly dressed in military attire, stormed a mining site at Tosho Community, rounded up illegal miners, and demanded information about the location of cattle stolen from Nding Community on 10 December. The attack left 12 miners dead, three abducted, and several others injured.

Zagazola Makama report that the attack was retaliatory, linked to the rustling of 171 cattle across Nding and Bakin Kogi communities earlier in the month. The victims, miners who were present at the site despite an extant ban on night mining, were particularly vulnerable due to the clandestine nature of the operations and the delayed reporting of the attack to security forces. Troops of Sector 2 Operation Enduring Peace responded early the following morning, conducting offensive operations to rescue the abducted and secure the area.

However, the Fann District attack represents only the latest episode in a rapidly escalating cycle of reprisal violence across Plateau State. Within days, coordinated assaults on pastoral communities in Barkin Ladi and Jos East LGAs resulted in the rustling of 168 cattle, while nine additional cows reportedly died after grazing on poisoned substances in Kwi village, Riyom LGA. These attacks, illustrated the deepening insecurity that continues to place herders, farmers and other vulnerable communities alike at risk.

In a further escalation, four children were killed in Dorong village, Foron District of Barkin Ladi LGA, allegedly in reprisal for the earlier cattle rustling. Victims included Precious Joshuah, 17; Isa’ac Joshuah, 9; Mary Joshuah, 7; and Eve Sambo, 3. Community sources indicated that the attack occurred amid a climate of fear, with residents warning that reprisals were imminent if no preventive action was taken.

Another disturbing incident in Gero village, Jos South LGA, saw the killing and injury of at least 10 cattle, reportedly by Berom militias targeting Fulani herders. Twelve others were left fatally wounded. Local sources indicated that repeated complaints to authorities regarding such attacks had yielded little response, fostering a perception of selective intervention that largely reacts to incidents affecting one side of the conflict.

Zagazola Makama, have long warned in a series of articles of this predictable pattern: attacks on herders, particularly cattle rustling and livestock poisoning, often trigger retaliatory strikes against innocent civilians, which triggers continued attacks. Despite repeated alerts, the Plateau State government and other concerned authorities have been accused of inaction or selective enforcement, which some residents allege has emboldened criminal actors and state-supported militias.

This growing environment of impunity has left communities vulnerable and created conditions where reprisal attacks are almost inevitable. While the recent attacks are universally condemned, a critical review shows that violence in Plateau often escalates when perpetrators operate with little fear of prosecution or accountability. The complicity of certain local militias and the failure of government to intervene decisively have deepened the cycle, placing innocent civilians including women and children at the highest risk.ll

Zagazola emphasized that unless the Plateau State Government and security agencies implement robust measures to arrest perpetrators on all sides, prosecute offenders, and engage in non-kinetic conflict resolution, the state is likely to witness further retaliatory violence. Immediate steps are required to address both the underlying causes of insecurity and the selective handling of incidents, which currently fuels perceptions of bias and aggravates existing ethno-religious and pastoral-farming tensions.

Without decisive action, Plateau State will continue to experience a self-perpetuating cycle of violence, where acts of aggression against one community invariably provoke retaliatory strikes on another, leaving the most vulnerable particularly children bearing the heaviest burden.

How killing of 12 Illegal miners in Barkin Ladi, linked to rustling of 171 livestock plateau