Conflicting narratives have surfaced following reports of the killing of three herders in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, with community groups trading accusations and security agencies confirming that an investigation is underway.
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) alleged that the victims were attacked on Thursday night along Dorowa-Jong Road. In a statement signed by its Plateau State chairman, Ibrahim Yusuf Babayo, the association identified the deceased as Tahiru Muhammad (30), Jibrin Salisu (28) and Abdulmumin Isyak (31).
According to MACBAN, the men were returning to Jong community on motorcycles after attending a Qur’an Tafsir session in Dorowa when they were ambushed. The group accused members of the Berom community of carrying out the attack.
“The attackers shot the victims and brutally beheaded one of them. The world should see what is happening to us: our people are being targeted and killed with impunity. We condemn this act in the strongest terms and call on authorities to investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice. Security forces, including soldiers and the DPO of Barkin Ladi, have visited the scene,” the statement said.
While urging its members to remain calm and law-abiding, MACBAN said the incident fit a wider pattern of alleged attacks on its members. “We are seeking protection and justice. We will not be provoked, but we demand action from the state and federal governments to safeguard our people and livestock,” it added.
The allegation was swiftly rejected by the Berom Youth Moulder Association (BYM), which described the claim as a ploy to justify violence against residents of Barkin Ladi. BYM president, Dalyop Solomon, denied that the Berom community was responsible and insisted that no such armed groups exist among the Berom or other ethnic nationalities.
“In direct response to the usual allegation by the MACBAN chairman, I ask: who identified the killers as Berom without intercepting or arresting them? Could it not be that armed Fulani militants, in their operations, mistook the victims for others and killed them?” Solomon said.
He warned that similar accusations have often preceded attacks on communities and called for an independent probe. Solomon also accused Miyetti Allah of spreading inflammatory claims, urging security agencies to monitor the association and hold its members accountable for any attacks on innocent residents.
Meanwhile, the military confirmed that the incident occurred. Captain Chinonso Polycarp Oteh, spokesperson for Operation Enduring Peace, said troops received information about the attack around 11 pm on Thursday and were immediately deployed to the area.
He added that the General Officer Commanding, 3 Division, and Commander of Operation Enduring Peace had expressed concern over the development and vowed to track down those responsible. According to him, investigations are ongoing, and affected families and residents have been urged to remain calm while security agencies carry out their work.
