Tragedy struck again in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State on Thursday when armed men ambushed mourners conveying the bodies of two victims of an earlier attack to a mortuary, killing one person and injuring several others.
The incident occurred barely 24 hours after two residents were reportedly killed in an attack on Sol village in the Ta-Hoss District of Riyom LGA.
Confirming the development in a statement issued on Friday, President of the Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM), Barrister Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, alleged that the attacks were carried out by suspected Fulani militias.
According to Mwantiri, the initial attack took place at about 9:20 p.m. on June 10, 2026, when armed assailants invaded Sol village and killed two community members identified as Davou Dalyop Patu and Dalyop Zaram.
The killings, he said, plunged the Ta-Hoss community and neighbouring villages into mourning.
However, the violence escalated on Thursday morning when relatives and community members transporting the victims’ remains to the mortuary at Riyom General Hospital were reportedly ambushed by the gunmen.
The attackers allegedly opened fire on the mourners, killing a man identified as Toma Chuwang and leaving several others with varying degrees of injuries.
Mwantiri claimed that after the initial assault on Sol village, the attackers retreated to a nearby Fulani settlement in Kwakwi, Ganawuri District, which he alleged serves as a hideout for armed bandits.
The BYM president condemned what he described as a renewed wave of attacks in Riyom and other parts of Plateau State, urging security agencies to intensify operations against criminal groups operating in vulnerable communities.
He further expressed concern that criminal elements displaced by ongoing security operations in neighbouring Barkin Ladi Local Government Area may be shifting their activities to communities in Riyom.
Mwantiri also decried the destruction of farmlands through indiscriminate grazing in the Gassa and Kassa communities of Ropp District in Barkin Ladi LGA, warning that such actions threaten livelihoods and worsen economic hardship in affected areas.
The youth leader called on the Federal Government, the Plateau State Government, and security agencies to establish additional security formations in Riyom to strengthen ongoing efforts against insecurity.
He also appealed to international partners and development agencies to support measures aimed at tackling terrorism, banditry, and violent extremism across Plateau State and the wider Middle Belt region.
Mwantiri urged residents of vulnerable communities to remain vigilant and continue providing timely intelligence to security agencies, including Operation Enduring Peace, to help prevent further attacks and enhance community safety.
At the time of filing this report, security authorities had not issued an official statement on the incident.
