A 13-year-old herder, Abubakar Wada, and 36 of his cattle were killed by suspected hoodlums in the Fan community of Plateau State’s Barikin Ladi Local Government Area. The incident has sparked widespread condemnation from Fulani leaders, who describe the attack as unprovoked and the latest in a series of targeted assaults against Fulani herders in the state.
According to the Plateau State chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Ibrahim Yusuf Babayo, the teenager and two other herders were ambushed near the Inzon community. “The gunmen opened fire without any form of provocation,” Mr. Babayo said. “Abubakar was only 13 years old. He died with his cows. They also shot and killed 36 cattle and drove away 49 others that are still missing.”
This incident has instilled fear and concerns of renewed communal violence in one of Nigeria’s most fragile regions. Between September and October, 27 Fulani herders have been killed, and over 160 cattle have been shot dead in different parts of the state, according to Mr. Babayo. Despite reports to security agencies, no arrests have been made.
Some officials of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria allege that the latest assault fits a familiar pattern of attacks targeting pastoralists in local governments long identified as flashpoints of farmer-herder conflict. The Berom Youth Moulders Association has denied involvement in the latest killing, stating that suspected Fulani armed groups carried out separate attacks on Berom communities, killing one man and accusing herders of forceful grazing into farmlands and residential areas.
The 3 Division Nigerian Army has confirmed that an investigation has been launched into the matter. Security analysts warn that continued unprovoked killings of herders could spark retaliatory attacks and reignite Plateau’s long-running cycle of violence. The incident highlights the deepening distrust between Fulani herders and farming communities, despite repeated government promises of peace. The state has remained tense since the December 2023 Christmas Eve massacres, which left scores of people dead.