Gunmen kill three, injure infant in Plateau attacks

Gunmen have killed three people and injured a one-year-old child in an attack on commuters in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The attack occurred at about 10 p.m. on Friday at a bridge linking the Gassa and Nding communities in Fan District, according to the Berom Youth Moulders-Association (BYM).

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Rwang Tengwong, the group said the victims were returning to Fan District when they were ambushed by armed men suspected to be terrorists operating from the Jong area of Ropp District, believed to be their hideout.

The assailants reportedly shot the victims — a man and two women — at close range. A one-year-old baby carried by one of the women survived the attack but sustained injuries.

Shortly after, gunmen also attacked a mining site in Rabuk village of Nding, where about 200 people were working at the time.

BYM said no casualty was recorded at the mining site due to the vigilance of local residents.

Condemning the attacks, the association described them as part of a troubling and coordinated pattern of violence across Plateau State, warning that the incidents were not isolated.

BYM expressed concern over the timing of the attacks, noting that they came barely a day after the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) alleged that more than 100 cows were rustled in Ganawuri, Riyom Local Government Area, purportedly by Berom youths from Vwang in Jos South.

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BYM called on security agencies to arrest and prosecute people involved in both cattle rustling and coordinated attacks in Plateau State.

Efforts to get a reaction from the Plateau State Police Command were unsuccessful, as its spokesperson, Alfred Alabo, could not be reached as of the time of filing this report.