Suspected armed herders killed at least six people, including a Nigerian soldier, in two attacks on communities in Plateau state, Nigeria, on the night of Sunday, November 8. The attacks hit Bel village in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area and the Lakas community in Panyam, near the Mangu-Pankshin border. Local leaders say no one has been arrested.
What happened
Gunmen stormed Bel village at about 9 p.m. and opened fire, according to reports. Four people, including three civilians and a soldier, were killed. Several others were wounded by gunshots. Bulus Bot, a resident of Bel village, confirmed the attack to International Christian Concern (ICC). He said the attackers are Fulani herders who want to take over local land.
Rwang Tengwong, publicity secretary of the Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM), confirmed the killings. He named three of the civilian victims as Emmanuel Pam Dachung, 15; Joseph Gyang, 28; and Emmanuel Yohanna, 32. The soldier has not been publicly named. In a separate attack on Lakas, two more people were killed, bringing the total to at least six.
A resident named Mathias told ICC that herders stopped villagers from reaching their farms to harvest crops. "We are now afraid to go to the church to worship," he said. "Nigerian authorities failed to protect us."
Context
A six-year study by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA) says Fulani militias are the deadliest persecutors of Christians in Nigeria. According to the study, these militias are responsible for four times more civilian deaths than Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) combined. The findings challenge the common belief that those two groups kill more Christians.
Islamic State West Africa Province is a militant group that split from Boko Haram in 2016 and is linked to ISIS. The United Nations and several governments have condemned its attacks. Violence continues in Plateau's Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Riyom and Mangu areas, where farming communities report killings, displacement and property destruction. Residents and eyewitnesses say the attacks target mainly Christian villages. Some describe a pattern aimed at seizing ancestral land. These claims have not been independently verified.
What to watch
Tengwong condemned the killings and asked security agencies to identify and arrest those responsible. He warned that failing to catch the attackers could expose nearby communities to more violence. ICC has asked supporters to pray for the victims' families and for the protection of Plateau's villages.
