At least 27 farmers, including men and women, have been killed in a fresh attack by unidentified gunmen in Bindi-Jebbu, a village in the Tahoss community of Riyom Local Government Area, Plateau State.
According to local sources, the attackers stormed the farming community on Monday, unleashing sporadic gunfire and setting homes ablaze. Dozens of residents sustained various degrees of injuries, with many rushed to nearby hospitals, including the Jos University Teaching Hospital and Plateau Hospital, for urgent medical attention.
Confirming the tragic incident, the Chairman of Riyom Local Government Area, Bature Shuwa, said he was on his way to the affected community but could not immediately provide a definitive casualty figure.
The National President of the Berom Youth Moulders Association, Dalyop Solomon, also verified the attack in a statement to PUNCH Online, disclosing that the assailants, suspected to be from the Fulani ethnic group, killed 27 people and left several others wounded.
“Twenty-seven persons have been confirmed dead, and many others injured. The victims’ remains have been taken to hospitals, and burial arrangements are underway,” Solomon stated.
As of press time, both the Plateau State Police Command and Operation Safe Haven, the multi-agency security task force in the state, had yet to issue official statements regarding the incident. Attempts to reach their spokespersons — Major Samson Zhakom for Operation Safe Haven and DSP Alabo Alfred for the police command — proved unsuccessful, as messages sent to them remained unanswered.
The attack has reignited concerns over the persistent security crisis in Plateau State, where communities have faced recurrent raids by armed groups, resulting in deaths, displacements, and the destruction of property.
In response to the rising insecurity, the Plateau State Government recently recruited 150 new Agro-Rangers to bolster security in rural areas and protect farming communities from such violent incursions.
Residents and civil society groups are once again calling on the federal and state governments to intensify efforts in safeguarding vulnerable communities and ending the cycle of violence in the region.
