.MACBAN alleges targeted attacks
Yemi Kosoko in Jos
Three herders were killed by suspected assailants along the Dorowa–Jong Road in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State on Thursday night.
But the state chapter of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) alleged that three of its members were ambushed.
In a statement issued yesterday by the state chairman of MACBAN, Ibrahim Yusuf Babayo, said the victims — Tahiru Muhammad (30), Jibrin Salisu (28), and Abdulmumin Isyak (31) — were ambushed while returning to Jong community after attending a Qur’an Tafsir session in Dorowa.
Babayo described the incident as “another atrocity” against the group’s members, alleging that the attackers were from the Berom community.
“The attackers shot the victims and brutally cut off the head of one of them. Our people are being targeted and killed with impunity,” the statement read.
He said security personnel, including soldiers and the Divisional Police Officer in Barkin Ladi, had visited the scene.
MACBAN urged its members to remain calm while calling on state and federal authorities to ensure justice and protection for pastoral communities.
Reacting to MACBAN’s claims, the Berom Youth Movement (BYM) dismissed the allegations as unfounded and “a familiar pattern of blame-shifting.”
BYM leader, Solomon Dalyop, said the Berom community had no history of operating armed groups, accusing MACBAN of attempting to pre-empt investigations.
“Who saw the killers as Berom without intercepting or arresting them? Could it not be that armed Fulani militants mistook these men for Berom people?” Dalyop said.
He alleged that such accusations often precede attacks on Berom communities and called on authorities to scrutinise MACBAN’s claims and activities.
The Joint Security Task Force, Operation Enduring Peace, confirmed the killings and said troops were deployed to the scene following a distress call around 11p.m. on Thursday.
Spokesperson Captain Chinonso Polycarp Oteh said four bodies were discovered when troops arrived, though the assailants had fled.
He added that the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Division and Commander of Operation Enduring Peace, Major General Folusho Oyinlola, had ordered a full investigation and intensified efforts to track the perpetrators.
“The commander has appealed for calm and assured that the incident will not be swept under the carpet,” Oteh said.
The security task force urged residents to avoid speculation and allow investigators to determine those responsible.
