Six killed, three injured as gunmen lay siege on Plateau communities 

At least six people have been confirmed killed, while three others were injured in separate attacks as gunmen suspected to be Fulani terrorists laid siege on different communities in Barkin Ladi and Riyom Local Government of Plateau State.

The Berom Youth Moulders-Association, BYM, which confirmed the incidents in a statement on Monday, signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Rwang Tengwong, said the attacks occurred on Saturday in Ta-Hoss, Riyom, and Sabon Layi, Barkin Ladi, while another attack took place in Kwi district of Riyom in the early hours of Sunday.

Describing the attacks as unprovoked and a continuation of a sustained campaign of terror against Christian communities in the state, particularly in Riyom and Barkin Ladi, Tengwong condemned the continued siege on Berom land by bandits and called on security agencies to rise to their responsibilities and flush the attackers out of the affected areas.

“The Berom Youth Moulders-Association, BYM, under the leadership of Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, strongly condemns the fresh wave of coordinated attacks by armed Fulani terrorists that claimed the lives of six innocent people and left one woman critically injured in separate attacks on Ta-Hoss, Riyom LG, Sabon Layi, Barkin Ladi LG, on Saturday, July 4, 2026, and Kwi, Riyom LG, in the early hours of Sunday, July 5, 2026,” the association said.

Continuing, the BYM said:

“At about 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, armed Fulani terrorists operating from the Bangai axis attacked farmers on their farmland at Rinyan Village in Ta-Hoss Community, Riyom LG.

“The attackers shot dead Hudung Luka, 40, and critically injured Ladi Istifanus, 50. Later that night, terrorists invaded Sabon Layi Community in Barkin Ladi LG and brutally murdered Sunday, 25, Benjamin James, 33, and Godwin Yakubu, 27.

“In the early hours of Sunday, the terrorists struck again, killing Peter Bulus in Kwi Village, Riyom LG. 

“These attacks are not isolated incidents but form part of a persistent pattern of violence deliberately targeting innocent civilians, farmers, and rural communities.

“The repeated killings continue to instill fear, displace families, and threaten the livelihoods of the Berom people. BYM is deeply concerned by recent security intelligence reports indicating that armed Fulani terrorists are allegedly camped in different locations across Plateau State to launch coordinated attacks on vulnerable communities.

“This disturbing development calls for immediate intelligence-driven security operations to identify, dismantle, and neutralise these camps before more innocent lives are lost. 

“Security agencies must act proactively rather than waiting to respond after attacks have occurred.”