Plateau State chapter of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, on Saturday, said gunmen suspected to be “Berom Militias” attacked and killed a 15-year-old herder identified as Sadi Aliyu, in the Sabon Gidan Kanar community of Jos South Local Government Area of the state.
According to the Chairman of MACBAN in the state, Ibrahim Yusuf Babayo, the attack which occurred late on Friday while the victim and other herders were grazing livestock in the area, also left 13 cattle dead and 11 others missing.
Babayo, who made the confirmation of the incident in a statement on Saturday, said the assailants stormed the grazing field and opened fire on the herders without provocation, adding that the teenage herder was killed on the spot, while several cattle were shot dead during the attack.
“The attack which Berom Militia carried out was unprovoked as there were no previous incidents before then,” the MACBAN Chairman said.
“The victim, alongside his colleagues, was rearing cattle when the gunmen attacked them. They killed one herder and 13 cattle, while about 11 cattle are still missing,” Babayo added.
While condemning the attack, Babayo described it as a threat to fragile peace and security in the state.
He decried what he described as the continuous targeting of innocent herders and their livestock which he said is unacceptable and poses a serious threat to peaceful coexistence and security in Plateau State.
The MACBAN Chairman however stated that the incident had been reported to the Bukuru B Division of the Nigeria Police Force and Sector 6 of Operation Enduring Peace for investigation and necessary action and called on security agencies to thoroughly investigate the attack, arrest those responsible and ensure that justice is served.
The MACBAN chairman also urged governments at all levels to take proactive measures to protect the lives and property of citizens, irrespective of their ethnic background or occupation, and appealed for calm, advising members of the herding community and other affected persons against taking the law into their own hands, urging them instead to allow security agencies to carry out their responsibilities.
“The association remains committed to peace, dialogue and lawful means of addressing grievances,” he added.
Efforts to obtain official confirmation from the state Police Command and the Operation Enduring Peace, OPEP, were unsuccessful as the spokespersons for the police SP Alfred Alabo and Captain Polycarp Oteh were yet to respond to enquiries as of the time of filing this report.
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