At least five Fulani men travelling from Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State to a cattle market in Bukuru, Jos South, were killed in an attack around Kassa in Barkin Ladi LGA, a Fulani youth leader, Hamza Idris Muhammad, has said.
Mr Muhammad, Assistant Secretary of the Fulbe Youths Development Association (FUYODA), in Bokkos, identified four of the victims as Salihu Abubakar, Muhammad Buhari Yusuf, Muhammad Abdurrahman and Aminu Ruwa.
Mr Muhammad, who spoke in a video shared on Facebook on Monday, said the victims were attacked on Sunday while travelling to Bukuru cattle market to sell their cattle.
“They were stopped, rounded and killed unjustly,” he said, appealing to the Federal Government and Plateau State Government to investigate the killings and ensure justice for the victims.
He said the body of a fifth victim had yet to be recovered as of Monday.
“We are calling on the government to pursue justice on this matter. They were pursuing their legitimate businesses,” Mr Muhammad said.
Call for restraint
Mr Muhammad appealed to authorities to protect the victims’ families and prevent the killings from triggering further violence in the state.
“If the government is serious about peace in this state and the country, as Fulani people from Bokkos LGA, we ask for justice for peace to reign,” he said.
He also said the community was not seeking retaliation, urging the government to ensure that those responsible for the killings were brought to justice.
“We are not looking for violence or conflict with anyone,” he said.
Similarly, the Plateau State chapter of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in statement by its Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Yusuf Babayo, the also alleged that the victims were ambushed by individuals it described as Berom militias.
The latest killings come less than two weeks after WikkiTimes reported the killing of three young herders and about 50 cattle in the Aloghom area of Mangu LGA.
The three victims — Garzali Shaibu, 18, Bashiru Yakubu, 14, and Salim Abubakar, 15 — were reportedly attacked while tending cattle. Another herder was reported missing, while 15 cattle sustained gunshot wounds.
Plateau State Police Command spokesperson, SP Alfred Alabo, could not be reached for comment on the reported attack.
WikkiTimes called Mr Alabo but did not answer the call. He also did not respond to SMS and WhatsApp messages sent to him seeking update on the incident.
The fresh killings have further heightened tensions in the affected communities, where recurring attacks and reprisal violence have repeatedly disrupted livelihoods and movement.
The latest violence has also prompted the Plateau State Government to impose a dusk-to-dawn curfew in Barkin Ladi, Bokkos and Mangu LGAs from Monday, restricting movement between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. until further notice.
The government said the measure was intended to enable security agencies to stabilise the affected areas, protect lives and prevent further breakdown of law and order.
Authorities have also urged residents to remain calm and avoid reprisals as security agencies investigate the latest incidents.
