A local militia gang operating in the Izovo community, Miango district of the state’s Bassa Local Government Area, allegedly attacked herders on Saturday afternoon, killing five cows and leaving three herders missing, according to the Plateau State chapter of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, or MACBAN.
In a statement released in Jos on Sunday, Ibrahim Yusuf Babayo, the state MACBAN Chairman, acknowledged the occurrence.
He claimed that the gunmen, whom he referred to as “Irigwe Militias,” ambushed and attacked the herders while they were conducting their lawful business.
Babayo told reporters that the incident was unprovoked and that it had been reported to the appropriate security services.
The MABC Chairman stated, “The attackers, who were identified as Irigwe Militias, struck while the herders were grazing their cattle, opening fire and forcing the herders to flee before killing the animals with machetes and gunshots.”
He said the attack posed a threat to the state’s ongoing peace efforts as well as the livelihood of Fulani pastoralists.
“This act is a dangerous development that has the potential to increase tensions and undermine the fragile peace in the state, in addition to directly attacking the livelihood of innocent pastoralists.”
“Any form of violence against cattle rearing must be treated as a serious offense, as it continues to be a legitimate means of livelihood for thousands of families,” Babayo continued.
He warned that inaction could exacerbate tensions and urged security services to look into the attack and prosecute the perpetrators.
Alabo Alfred, the spokesman for the state police, and Captain Polycarp Oteh, the media information officer for Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP), were not reachable by phone or WhatsApp.
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