Teenage Herder Killed, Houses Burnt In Plateau Community

A 16-year-old herder, Abubakar Abdullahi, was killed and, another identified as Usaini Langai injured around Tafawa community in Riyom local government area of Plateau State.
LEADERSHIP gathered that several houses were also burnt in the area.

The herding community alleged that security operatives stormed the area around 4 a.m. on Saturday and started shooting sporadically while the residents were sleeping, killing one person and injuring another.

Usaini Langai, who survived the incident, said, “We were sleeping at night when security men stormed the area, brought us out and killed my colleague instantly. They burnt houses and killed some cattle. They started moving with me and later shot me twice and abandoned me there. Soon after, some residents who heard my cry came and evacuated me to the hospital in Barkin Ladi.”

The father of the deceased condemned the incident.
He said: “Around 4 a.m., they stormed the community. We started running for our lives but they met two teenage herders in the room. They brought him outside and killed him for no offence. They opened fire at our houses.

“They went with the other herder and shot him twice in the back, believing that he had died, but luckily we took him to the hospital for treatment.

“This is unjust because nothing has happened around this area that would warrant them invading the community. For some time now, they have been killing our cattle and today, security forces committed this atrocity against us.”

According to them, “after leaving our community, they went to other herding communities and burned houses. This is unfair.”

Abdulhadi Muhammad, whose house was burned, also condemned the attack and called on the government to intervene and ensure justice.

“It is surprising that they will come and burn my house without any reason. A day before security burned my house, our cattle were poisoned around Kwi and as a leader, I was informed and I reported the incident to all security forces in the area.

” They asked us to be patient and we were patient. But to my surprise, they burned my house. What was my offence? Was it because our cattle were killed and we reported the case to them? They killed our members and burned houses. Government should do something,” Muhammad said.

Meanwhile Alhaji Bello Adamu, Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in the area, described the attack as deliberately carried out to kill them and destroy their property.

He said: “We are surprised that security forces will attack us without provocation. They killed our people and our cattle. Their problem is that we are Fulani. Our call is that if the government is not the one directing them to kill us, they should do something about it. Gunmen kill us and security personnel also kill us. How do we achieve peace if this continues?”

The Military Information Officer Operation Enduring Peace, Captain Polycarp Oteh could not be reached for his reaction as his mobile phone was switched off at the time of filing this report.