At least 27 people, including men and women, have been confirmed dead in a fresh attack by gunmen on Bindi-Jebbu village in the Tahoss community of Riyom Local Government Area, Plateau State.
The attack reportedly took place overnight in Bindi-Jebbu, leaving the community in grief amid ongoing concerns about rising insecurity in rural areas of Plateau State.
Confirming the incident, Chairman of Riyom LGA, Bature Shuwa, said he was aware of the killings but could not provide an official casualty figure at the time of speaking, saying he was on his way to the attacked community.
The National President of the Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM), Dalyop Solomon, also confirmed the killings. According to him, gunmen believed to be of Fulani origin stormed the community, shooting sporadically and setting several houses ablaze.
“Twenty-seven persons were killed and many were injured. We have taken the bodies to different hospitals before the burial,” Solomon said.
A statement issued by the Riyom chapter of the Coalition for the Protection of Democracy (COPDEM), and signed by its Chairman and Publicity Secretary, Gideon Manjal and Gadu Daniel Dong, respectively, described the assault as a premeditated massacre.
According to COPDEM, the assailants stormed the village when the people had retired for the night, and carried out a house-to-house search, killing innocent people, including women, children and the aged in the process.
The group stated that the attackers were clearly identified by survivors as Fulani militias, and were heavily armed.
“The attackers, who were properly identified as Fulani extremists by survivors, stormed the Bindi community in Ta-Hoss district of Riyom Local Government Area on Monday night and, in their regular pattern of attack which is consistent with several previous attacks across Riyom and other parts of Plateau, systematically slaughtered over 20 innocent people including women, children, and old people,” the statement read.
“This assault occurred despite the visible presence of security forces in and around the area, including armoured military assets. Homes were burned, families displaced and trauma deepened.”
The group said community leaders and local authorities had repeatedly identified and reported the locations of the attackers’ hideouts, but no meaningful action had been taken.
“It must be clearly stated that these attackers are not unknown. Their hideouts and base settlements in nearby enclaves have been repeatedly identified and reported by community leaders and local authorities.
“Yet, year after year, these known threats continue to strike with impunity, often unchallenged. The recurring nature of these atrocities points not only to a failure of protection, but raises grave questions about inaction, negligence, and systemic compromise.”
COPDEM called on President Bola Tinubu, the Plateau State Government, and security agencies to launch an immediate high-level intervention. The group demanded a full-scale military operation to dismantle known terrorist enclaves, declare a state of emergency in affected areas, and offer humanitarian relief, community rebuilding, and trauma recovery support.
They condemned the repeated loss of lives in their communities and criticised the pattern of condolence visits and official statements, saying these responses have done nothing to stop the continued attacks across the state.
“Our people are being buried daily. We are tired of condolence visits and silence. We are tired of press statements that do not translate to protection.
“The community of Ta-Hoss, like Jol, Rim, Bachi, Wereng, Nding, and other previously hit areas, deserves more than sympathy. They deserve security, dignity, and justice,” the statement added.
