Three farmers were confirmed killed and one other injured in separate attacks in Larkas and Kodahas in Panyam District, Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The National President of Mwaghavul Development Association (MDA), Mr. Bulus Dabit, confirmed the incident to newsmen in Jos on Tuesday.
According to him, the victims were killed in two separate attacks between Monday and Tuesday morning.
LEADERSHIP findings revealed the names of the deceased as Gideon Jise (41), Fidelis Usman (49), and Job Amis (28). They were working on their farms when gunmen suddenly attacked and killed them.
The National President also disclosed that the gunmen later attacked Jwak village and rustled eight cattle belonging to their members.
Dabit, who narrated how the incident happened, noted that on Monday, gunmen attacked herders and rustled their cattle between Larkas and Panyam fish farm.
He explained that youth from the Mwaghavul ethnic group in the Panyam community confronted the rustlers while passing through the town, recovered 16 rustled cattle, and handed them over to the security personnel in the area.
Dabit said that despite these efforts, suspected herders from the Jenarate community seemed to be trailing the rustled cattle and attacked their members, killing three and injuring one, instead of commending their youth for recovering some of the rustled cattle.
The MDA president also condemned the attack, describing it as barbaric, and accused herders of responsibility for the incident.
But in a swift reaction, the Chairman of Gan Allah Fulani Development Association of Nigeria (GAFDAN) in Mangu LGA, Abubakar Gambo, dismissed the allegation, saying they were unaware of the attack on the farming community.
He explained that the cattle belonging to their members were rustled on Monday in the area.
“We are unaware of the attack and are not a party to it. We condemn any attack of that nature because we are law-abiding citizens. We have reported the rustling of our cattle to the security, and they should be allowed to investigate.”
The MDA President commended Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP) personnel in Mangu for arresting the suspects, noting that cattle rustling, an organised crime, is already causing significant damage to government efforts to restore peace in the State.
He called for establishing additional security blocks around the Larkas and Jwak communities to prevent further loss of lives and property in the region.
Meanwhile, Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP) spokesman Major Samson Zhakom did not respond to our correspondent’s call and text messages at press time.
