Iliya Gyang, 30, and his pregnant wife, Grace Iliya, 25, were killed in a fresh attack at Angwan Ishaku in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The Berom Youth Moulders-Association (BYM), under the leadership of Dalyop Mwantiri, strongly condemned the attack in a statement signed by Rwang Tengwong, National Publicity Secretary of BYM, on behalf of the association and made available to Journalists on Wednesday in Jos.

“The continued killings in Barkin Ladi are barbaric, wicked and totally unacceptable. Our people are being targeted while security assurances appear not to be yielding results on the ground,” BYM said.

“This attack, carried out on Wednesday evening, shows that the perpetrators are still active despite security assurances and government interventions,” the association added.

The statement noted that the attack occurred barely two days after Governor Caleb Mutfwang visited Barkin Ladi LGA for a town hall meeting with stakeholders on peace efforts, and a day after the State Security Council meeting where new security measures were announced.

According to BYM, the attackers arrived on a motorcycle, opened fire on the couple and others in the area, and fled through a route leading toward Fulani settlements in Fass along the Rakung-Sho road.

It added that Grace Iliya reportedly died on the spot, while her husband, who sustained severe gunshot injuries, later died in hospital. Two other persons were also injured, with their conditions yet to be confirmed.

The couple’s orphaned one-year-old twin boys have been left in distress following the attack.

There was no official comment from security authorities at the time of filing this report, as attempts to reach Alfred Alabo, the Police Public Relations Officer of Plateau State Command were unsuccessful. His phone numbers were reportedly not going through.

Nathaniel E. Gbaoron is the Plateau State correspondent for BusinessDay and a seasoned journalist with a decade of experience covering sub-national affairs across Taraba, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Benue, Plateau, and other states. He holds both National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) in Mass Communication from Fidel Polytechnic, Gboko. Over the years, he has participated in numerous media trainings and workshops spanning various areas of reporting, strengthening his expertise in economic and political reporting, community-level governance, development stories, and conflict-sensitive journalism. He is a member of Correspondent Chapel in Plateau state, a member of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), he is also a Rotarian and a member of Plateau Club 1921.

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