Six residents of Kwi Community in Riyom Local Government Area, Plateau State, have been killed in a reported armed attack by suspected Fulani militants, the Berom Youths Moulder Association (BYM) said.
The incident, which took place at approximately 9:50 pm on Saturday, followed an earlier shooting earlier the same day in which Mr. Kurang Daniel was killed while harvesting maize around 4:00 pm.
According to BYM, the assailants arrived on motorcycles and were believed to have come from Fass, a settlement in the state.
In a statement, BYM President Dalyop Mwantiri and Secretary-General Bature Adazaram alleged that the attackers often present false claims to security agencies to justify violence.
“Information available to the Berom Youths Moulder Association has it that Fulani have falsely framed up usual lies and fallacies to security operatives, claiming that the natives of Kwi attacked their cows, which has not been proved, as no trace of any cow touched or herder attacked up to the time of filing this report has been factually established after a thorough search to ascertain such claim,” the statement read.
The association appealed to security forces, particularly Sector 4 Operation Enduring Peace, to take decisive action.
“The Berom Youths Moulder Association is passionately appealing to Sector 4 Operation Enduring Peace to use all its arsenals and professionalism to arrest the Fulani that made such baseless and misleading calls, as well as claims, for onward investigation and necessary prosecution,” they said.
BYM further warned that the threat to the Berom people will persist unless more robust measures are taken against Fass and other areas where suspected militants are believed to have established safe havens.
31 killed last month – BYM
The Guardian reports that last month, BYM condemned a series of violent attacks in Barkin Ladi and Riyom Local Government Areas of Plateau State, which claimed the lives of 31 people, including children, within a single week.
The group described the killings as coordinated assaults by suspected militias.
In a statement released in Jos, BYM President Solomon Dalyop Mwantiri and Secretary Bature Iliya Adazaram said heavily armed assailants launched simultaneous attacks on the night of 14 October, targeting Rachas village in Heipang District and Rawuru village in Fan District, both in Barkin Ladi. Eleven people, including five children, were reportedly killed in Rachas, while two others were killed in Rawuru. The attackers also stole more than 255 cows.
“The victims of the Rachas massacre included Chollom Danjuma, 37, Christy Dung, 32, and three children aged between five and ten years. The attackers opened fire while the victims were asleep and then herded away the stolen livestock to the Fass settlement,” the statement said.
BYM further reported that on 13 October, two people were killed and two injured in the Wereng Community of Riyom LGA. The group alleged that these incidents occurred despite the presence of security personnel, suggesting bias or selective response from some operatives.
The association expressed concern over a pattern in which deadly attacks appear to follow meetings between Fulani and Berom representatives at security offices. BYM cited a recent ambush on community leaders returning from a Sector 4 Headquarters meeting, in which four were killed, two injured, and two went missing.
Earlier, on 8 October, an attack in Gabwat village of Fan District left a one-year-old baby and three adults dead. Within the week, BYM said, 12 people were killed in Fan District, 11 in Heipang, and two in Wereng, describing it as one of the darkest periods for the Berom nation.
In response, BYM called for a ban on open grazing in Berom communities, warning that the practice is being used to facilitate terrorist activities and forceful land acquisition. The group urged government authorities and security agencies to act promptly, with fairness and professionalism, and cautioned that communities may consider constitutionally backed self-defence if protection is not provided.
