13-year-old herder, 39 cattle killed in Plateau

Unknown assailants have killed a 13-year-old herder, Abubakar Wada, and 36 cattle during an attack on a village in Fan District of the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.

It was also reported that 49 other cattle were stolen during the attack. The young herder was grazing around the Inzon community when the assailants attacked him.

The state chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Ibrahim Babayo, confirmed the incident and described it as “barbaric and unprovoked.”

“The incident happened in the evening. We have so far counted losses of over 80 cattle because 36 were killed, while 49 are still missing. The attack was carried out by Berom people from Fan district,” he said.

Mr Babayo said the herders were moving with their cattle peacefully when they were ambushed.

“We call on herders wherever they are in the state to remain calm and allow security forces to investigate those responsible for the attack. Nobody should take laws into their hands,” he said, noting that two herders survived the attack.

Local authorities responded to the incident swiftly, with security operatives, including the police and personnel from Operation Enduring Peace, visiting the scene shortly after the attack. The MACBAN secretary in Barkin Ladi also announced that the relevant security commands had been notified.

The MACBAN alleged that the assailants are members of the Berom ethnic group.

The Berom Youths Moulders Association, however, denied any involvement. Its president, Solomon Dalyop, described the accusation as baseless and framed them as propaganda meant to legitimise aggression against Berom communities.

Mr Dalyop claimed the real aggressors were suspected Fulani armed groups operating in the area, citing a related killing, rustling incidents and forced grazing by Fulani herdsmen into farmlands around Fan District.

According to Daily Trust, the Acting Deputy Director, Public Relations, 3 Division of the Nigerian Army, Aliyu Danja, a Lieutenant Colonel, said they had contacted the sector commander in the area for verification.

Ethno-religious or climate change-induced conflict?

Following the early 2000s ethno-religious conflict that rocked the town of Jos, other parts of Plateau State have witnessed a series of violence rooted in climate change.

Competition over limited resources—water and land for grazing—has resulted in fierce confrontations between “indigenous” farmers and “nomadic or migrant” Fulani herders.

With the indigenous population largely Christians and the Fulani herders mostly Muslims, the conflict has been framed as ethno-religious one, fueling interfaith rivalry both on social media and in local communities.

READ ALSO: Three police officers dead, seven missing as suspected herders ambush tactical team

This reporter has been following the trend of violence in Plateau State. In 2023, he documented and investigated the root of the conflict between Mwaghavul farmers and Fulani herders in Mangu where more than 300 people were killed.

The Mangu crisis which was largely resource-based later spilled over to Bokkos and Barkin Ladi where PREMIUM TIMES documented that more than 350 people were killed in at least 29 communities.

The spillover of the violence to Bokkos and Barkin Ladi was more deadly and because of its timing, many observers and international communities tagged it as “Christmas Eve massacre.”

Such a religious colouration has recently generated online allegations about “Christian genocide” in Nigeria.