Three killed, infant injured in terror ambush in Plateau

Three persons were on Friday evening killed in a fresh ambush by suspected terrorists at the Nding–Gassa bridge in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, while a baby was injured.

The Berom Youth Moulders-Association (BYM) said the victims were commuters returning to Fan District of Barkin Ladi when they were attacked at about 7:30pm.

Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, leader of the association who confirmed the killings in a statement signed by Rwang Tengwong, the National Publicity Secretary of BYM, described the incident as a “fresh and deadly attack on innocent civilians.”

According to the association, the assailants were “terrorists operating as militants from Jong and Jong areas of Ropp District,” alleging that the attackers have “established and continued to be hosted over time, even in recent times,” within the axis.

BYM also disclosed that earlier in the day, at about 3:30pm, Rabuk village of Nding came under attack at a mining site with hundreds of inhabitants, but no life was lost due to what it described as the alertness of residents.

Read also: Fresh Plateau attacks leave six farmers dead, one injured

Disturbingly, the group said that shortly after the deadly ambush at the Nding–Gassa bridge, another set of commuters was attacked at the same location when their vehicle broke down, a development it said further confirmed the deliberate targeting of road users along that route.

BYM said the incidents were “barbaric, coordinated, and premeditated,” adding that they have once again turned Barkin Ladi LGA into “a theatre of bloodshed, fear, and lawlessness,” and form part of a disturbing pattern of violence spreading across Plateau State.

The association expressed worry that the attacks occurred barely a day after the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) made what it described as “unverified and inflammatory allegations” that over 100 cows were rustled at Ganawuri in Riyom LGA, allegedly blaming Berom youths from Vwang in Jos South LGA.

It warned that “these narratives are often used as smokescreens to justify or trigger violent assaults on our communities.”

The association extended condolences to the families of the victims and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured child, while calling on security agencies to “identify, arrest, and prosecute all perpetrators and their collaborators” involved in both cattle rustling and coordinated attacks, and to caution against the spread of inciting and unverified allegations capable of provoking violence.

Plateau imam who shielded 262 Christians from attack dies at 90

Meanwhile, Abubakar Abdullahi, the imam of Nghar village in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, who famously shielded 262 Christians during a violent communal attack, has died at the age of 90.

Saleh Abubakar, the son of the deceased, confirmed the death to to Journalist saying the cleric passed away on Thursday night at the Plateau Specialist Hospital in Jos.

He revealed that his father died about ten days after being admitted to the hospital, following complications linked to a heart condition that had affected his health for some time.

He said, “He died ten days after he was admitted. He was initially diagnosed with a heart problem. He’d go for check-ups and return. His health hadn’t been stable since the heart disease diagnosis.”

In June 2018, during deadly faith-based clashes that swept through 10 villages in Barkin Ladi, the late imam hid 262 Christians in a mosque and his private residence until the violence subsided, preventing them from being killed.

His actions earned him local and international recognition, including the International Religious Freedom Award presented by the United States Department of State in 2019.