Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
Plateau State is grappling with renewed insecurity as gunmen on Wednesday evening, December 10, 2025, launched coordinated attacks on herders in Barikin Ladi and Jos East Local Government Areas, making away with at least 170 cattle. The brazen raids, which involved heavy gunfire, forced herders to flee and left communities shaken.
The first attack occurred in Nding community, situated in the Fan District of Barikin Ladi LGA, where assailants rustled 137 cattle belonging to local herders, including Alhaji Wada Sale and Abdullahi Yusuf. Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic as the gunmen opened fire, sending herders and their assistants fleeing into the surrounding bush to save their lives.
Shortly after, in Kukukah community of Jos East LGA, a second band of gunmen targeted livestock, taking 34 more cattle, though three were later recovered. Alhaji Talba Abubakar, a local herder, confirmed the loss of his animals, lamenting the increasing audacity of rustlers who now operate with near impunity in areas previously considered secure.
Ibrahim Yusuf Babayo, the Plateau State chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBAN), condemned the attacks, describing them as “a direct assault on the livelihoods of our herders and a threat to food security in the state.” He confirmed that reports of the incidents had been promptly forwarded to security authorities, including the Department of State Services (DSS), Operation Enduring Peace, and the state police command. “The gunmen stormed the grazing areas and started shooting,” Babayo stated, emphasizing the urgency of a coordinated response to protect lives and property.
The raids underscore a growing pattern of insecurity in Plateau State, where herders and farmers have increasingly become targets of armed criminal gangs. Analysts warn that repeated attacks could destabilize local food supply chains, intensify communal tensions, and erode confidence in security agencies if swift preventive measures are not taken.
Local residents have expressed outrage, questioning how communities continue to endure such attacks without visible security intervention. Calls for immediate action have intensified, with civil society organizations urging the state and federal authorities to deploy more patrol units, enhance intelligence gathering, and hold perpetrators accountable.
The Plateau State government has yet to release an official statement on the attacks, but security experts suggest that coordinated operations combining local vigilance, military, and police resources will be crucial in curbing the growing menace of armed cattle rustlers.
As herders count their losses and communities reel from the violence, the raids stand as a stark reminder of the urgent need for comprehensive strategies addressing rural insecurity in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
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