Crime
Plateau: 13 die in Barkin Ladi after deadly reprisal by Bandits over killing of three Fulani
Plateau: 13 die in Barkin Ladi after deadly reprisal by Bandits over killing of three Fulani
By: Zagazola Makama
The vicious cycle of violence in Plateau State has taken another deadly turn, as 13 people were confirmed killed in separate attacks on Rachas and Rawuru villages of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, in what security sources described as a reprisal by suspected bandits.
Zagazola Makama report that the latest attacks, which occurred late Tuesday, followed the killing of two Fulani women and a young boy along the Mangu Road by suspected members of a Berom militia. The victims were reportedly travelling in a commercial vehicle near the NYSC orientation camp when they were stopped and shot dead in cold blood.
Residents and community leaders have condemned both incidents, warning that the recurring pattern of attacks and reprisals between Fulani and Berom communities risks plunging the state back into large-scale conflict reminiscent of the 2018 crisis.
Speaking during the mass burial of the 13 victims in Rachas village, the Executive Chairman of Barkin Ladi Local Government Council, Hon. Stephen Gyang Pwajok, described the killings as “unprovoked and deeply regrettable.”
He sympathised with the affected families and assured that government was intensifying efforts to restore peace through enhanced security deployment and dialogue among stakeholders.
“The government will not relent in its determination to end these needless killings. We are engaging both traditional and community leaders to promote genuine reconciliation,” he said.
Similarly, the District Head of Heipang, Da Paul Tadi-Tok, lamented the continued targeting of innocent villagers, calling for decisive steps to prevent further bloodshed.
He urged authorities to restrict herders from grazing in areas where they are not resident, arguing that such a measure could help reduce infiltration by attackers who disguise as herders to carry out assaults.
“We must strengthen local vigilance and revive Operation Rainbow so that communities can respond promptly to distress situations,” the traditional ruler added.
The Security Adviser to Governor Caleb Mutfwang and Coordinator of Operation Rainbow, Brig.-Gen. Shippi Gakji Goshwe (Rtd.), disclosed that the state’s community security outfit was undergoing recruitment and training to reinforce operations in vulnerable areas.
“Government is not relenting. The new recruits will be properly equipped to complement conventional forces in protecting rural communities,” he said.
However, tension remains high in Barkin Ladi and neighbouring Mangu, Riyom, and Bokkos LGAs following recurring attacks and reprisals that have claimed dozens of lives in recent months.
Zagazola recalled that Leaders of the Fulani community have accused the authorities of selective silence, alleging that killings of their members often go unreported or unpunished.
“Our people have been victims of serial attacks without any arrests. Each time there is retaliation, it is only then that the authorities act. This selective justice is fuelling anger and worsening the crisis,” he said.
The killings point to the fragility of peace efforts in Plateau State, where inter-communal distrust, land disputes, and allegations of bias in security responses continue to hinder reconciliation.
Security analysts warn that unless government enforces equal protection for all and prosecutes perpetrators from both sides, the state risks sliding into another phase of tit-for-tat violence that could destabilize the region.
The Plateau State Government and Police Command were yet to issue official statements as of the time of filing this report.
Plateau: 13 die in Barkin Ladi after deadly reprisal by Bandits over killing of three Fulani
Farmer injured in alleged attack by herders in Bokkos
By Zagazola Makama
A female farmer was injured after she was allegedly attacked by suspected Fulani herders at Josho village in Daffo District of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The incident occurred at about 5:15 p.m. on Sept. 16, 2026, when troops of Sector 5, Operation ENDURING PEACE (OPEP), responded to a report of an attack on the farmer, identified as Mrs Sarah Luka.
According to the report, the attack followed an alleged dispute after Luka resisted cattle grazing on her farmland.
Troops who arrived at the scene found the victim with injuries, while the suspected attackers had fled before their arrival.
Luka was evacuated to a hospital for medical attention.
Security personnel have commenced efforts to track and apprehend the fleeing suspects for further investigation and appropriate legal action.
Farmer injured in alleged attack by herders in Bokkos
South African Woman Bags 40 years for 5.75kg Heroin at Nigerian Airport
By: Michael Mike
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday sentenced a 38-year-old South African woman to 40 years imprisonment for importing 5.75 kilogrammes of heroin into Nigeria using her three-year-old son as cover.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu convicted Ms. Will Jessica Ann on two counts of importation and conspiracy to import heroin in charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/422/2026, which she pleaded guilty to.
The court sentenced her to 15 years on count one and 25 years on count two. The sentences will run concurrently. She will effectively spend 25 years in jail.
Ann was arrested on July 6, 2026, by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, during the inward clearance of passengers on Qatar Airways flight QR 1433 from Doha at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
NDLEA said she concealed 14 large blocks of heroin in two checked-in bags and travelled with her toddler to evade security screening.
According to the agency, she initially denied owning any checked luggage. Officers, however, linked two bags containing the drugs to her through baggage tags that tallied with claim tags attached to her passport.
She later admitted ownership, claiming she forgot she checked in the bags. She told investigators she flew in from Cambodia through Doha to Abuja.
Intelligence, NDLEA said, shows she is a member of a transnational drug trafficking organisation operating along the Cambodian-South African axis with her husband and partner, Jan Coenraad De Jager.
De Jager, who is based in Cambodia, was arrested in Johannesburg, South Africa, on July 27, 2026, while attempting to traffic 3.2 kilogrammes of illicit drugs to Hong Kong.
Reacting to the conviction, NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), said the judgment demonstrates the judiciary’s resolve to support the agency’s war against drug trafficking.
Marwa said the conviction reinforces the agency’s position that Nigeria will not be a soft landing for international drug cartels.
He said the arrest of the convict’s partner three weeks after her arrest in Abuja underscores the strength of intelligence-sharing and collaboration between NDLEA and its foreign partners.
He said the agency will continue to strengthen airport interdiction and international collaboration to dismantle trafficking networks using Nigeria as a corridor.
Marwa warned that anyone, regardless of nationality, caught trafficking illicit drugs through Nigeria will face the full weight of the law.
South African Woman Bags 40 years for 5.75kg Heroin at Nigerian Airport
Kidnapped woman escapes abductors in Plateau, receives treatment for minor injuries
By: Zagazola Makama
A woman who was kidnapped by suspected armed robbers along the Kassa–Barkin Ladi highway in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State has reportedly escaped from her abductors and is receiving medical treatment.
The victim was abducted on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, after suspected armed robbers blocked the highway with stones and intercepted vehicles along the route.
Security sources said the woman managed to escape from her abductors in the early hours of Wednesday, Sept. 16, and subsequently made her way to safety.
She is currently receiving treatment at a hospital in Heipang, where she is being attended to for minor injuries reportedly sustained during the incident.
The development followed an earlier response by troops of Sector 4, Operation ENDURING PEACE (OPEP), deployed at the Alpha Guard location, who cleared the highway after discovering an ash-coloured Sharon vehicle without a registration number at the scene.
Sources said a security team has been dispatched to independently verify the circumstances of the woman’s escape and establish the location from which she escaped, as well as gather further evidence.
Security forces are also expected to intensify efforts to identify and apprehend the suspected kidnappers operating along the Kassa–Barkin Ladi axis.
Kidnapped woman escapes abductors in Plateau, receives treatment for minor injuries
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