A 25-year-old vigilante operative, Daniel Danladi Choji, has been killed following a fresh attack by suspected Fulani bandits on Tanjol village in the Jol District of Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The attack, which occurred on Tuesday night, also left several residents injured as terrified villagers fled into nearby bushes and rocky areas to escape the gunmen.
Residents said the attackers stormed the Vwak and Tanjol communities in multiple groups, shooting sporadically and causing panic across the area before security operatives eventually repelled them.
Confirming the incident on Wednesday, the National Publicity Secretary of the Berom Youths Moulder-Association, BYM, Rwang Tengwong, said the deceased vigilante officer was killed while carrying out patrol duties alongside other local security operatives.
Tengwong disclosed that the assailants invaded the communities in more than five coordinated groups, a development he said further highlighted the worsening insecurity confronting Plateau communities.
According to him, the attackers were eventually forced to retreat following the intervention of Operation Rainbow personnel and other security agencies who responded to distress calls from residents.
The BYM spokesman condemned the attack, describing the repeated killings in Riyom and other parts of Plateau State as unacceptable and deeply troubling.
He called on both the Plateau State Government and federal security agencies to take urgent and decisive measures to halt the persistent violence ravaging communities in the state.
Tengwong also urged authorities to immediately stop open grazing activities in the affected communities, alleging that there was a connection between the movement of armed herders and recurring attacks on indigenous populations in the area.
“We also urged authorities to halt grazing activities in the affected areas as there is a link between such movements and repeated attacks,” he stated.
He further appealed for intensified military offensives against criminal enclaves and armed groups operating within Plateau and across the Middle Belt region.
According to him, failure to decisively confront the growing threat of armed banditry and terrorism could lead to more bloodshed and displacement of innocent residents.
The latest attack has once again raised serious concerns over the deteriorating security situation in Plateau State, where communities have continued to suffer deadly raids, killings and destruction of property despite repeated assurances from security authorities.
Residents of Riyom and surrounding communities have repeatedly accused the government of failing to provide adequate protection, as attacks linked to suspected Fulani bandits and armed militias continue to claim lives across the state and other parts of Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
