Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The people of Nding Sesut community in Plateau State woke on Wednesday morning with a singular, heartbreaking task. They had to bury their dead. Seven victims, five members of the same family and two others, had been shot dead the previous night in their homes. The bodies lay wrapped in simple cloth, waiting for graves that had not yet been dug. By mid-afternoon, the digging had just begun when the sound of gunfire echoed from the surrounding hills. Attackers who had been watching the burial ceremonies from above descended on the mourners and opened fire, turning a solemn rite into a scene of panic and blood. Several people are feared dead and many others wounded, compounding an already staggering toll of violence in the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area.
The attack on the burial site occurred in the Fan District, specifically in the Nding Sesut and Nding Fan communities. According to eyewitness accounts and reports obtained by multiple news agencies, including Vanguard News, The Sun, and the Punch, the assailants had positioned themselves on the hills surrounding the burial ground. From there, they monitored the gathering of villagers who had assembled to conduct the burial rites for the seven victims of Tuesday night’s assault. For a community already drowning in grief, the attack represented a deliberate strike at their most vulnerable moment.
An eyewitness, journalist Masara Kim, who was present at the scene, recounted the horror in a telephone interview with The Sun. According to Kim, the mourners were in the process of digging a mass grave when intelligence filtered in that armed men were advancing. “The mass grave was just a little below two feet, but they had to abandon the digging and just dump the bodies in them. There wasn’t any official funeral rites yet. There was just a prayer, very brief, and they had to just be buried,” Kim said. He added that moments later, gunshots rang out. “Right in front of me, a man fell. He was one of the civilian defenders who were managing to protect the defenseless civilians using homemade pipe guns and hunting rifles. Eventually, all of us were overwhelmed, and the entire community was overrun. We had to run for our dear lives.”
Kim further disclosed that the attack on the burial was not isolated. At least five communities within a 20‑mile radius south of Jos were experiencing simultaneous assaults by the gunmen. “Right now, there is an ongoing massive attack on communities south of Jos. More than five communities are currently under simultaneous attacks. While we were at the burial site, the attackers emerged from the hills and began shooting,” he told the Vanguard. The coordinated nature of the assaults suggests a well‑planned operation designed to maximize casualties and spread panic across a wide area.
The Tuesday night attack that necessitated the mass burial had already devastated the community. According to the Plateau State Police Command, gunmen invaded the Nding Susut community around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. The assailants opened fire on residents who were seated in front of their houses. Four females and a nine‑year‑old boy were killed instantly. Three other female victims sustained varying degrees of injuries and were rushed to a nearby general hospital for treatment. A community member, Weng Christopher, described the situation as alarming and distressing. “This is becoming too frequent. People are living in constant fear,” he told Daily Trust.
The Berom Youth Moulders Association, a community‑based organisation, confirmed the killings and condemned the attack. The association’s publicity secretary, Rwang Tengwong, described the situation as “terrible,” noting that the association’s president was trapped in the area and rescue efforts were underway. Tengwong also disclosed that the gunmen attempted to attack Rim community in the neighbouring Riyom Local Government Area on the same night but were repelled by local vigilantes and personnel of Operation Rainbow, the state‑owned security outfit.
In an official statement, the Plateau State Police Command confirmed the Tuesday night attack. Commissioner of Police Bassey Ewah condemned the killings as “senseless” and extended condolences to the families of the victims. He ordered the immediate deployment of additional tactical teams and operational assets to Barkin Ladi LGA, including mobile police units and specialised teams to enhance patrols, intelligence gathering, and rapid response. The command reassured residents that investigations had commenced and that efforts were ongoing to track down and arrest the assailants.
Despite the police deployment, Wednesday’s attack on the mourners exposed the deep vulnerability of rural communities in Plateau State. A youth leader in Barkin Ladi, who identified himself simply as Bot, warned that the attackers seemed intent on destroying the agricultural base of the region. “If you go to Kassa, most of the farms cultivated by the people have been destroyed by the attackers. It is obvious that they have declared war on our people,” he told the Punch.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang has previously linked the recurring violence in Plateau State to political motives, particularly in the run‑up to the 2027 elections. In an interview with News Central TV, Mutfwang described the attacks as “pure acts of terrorism” and suggested that the timing and persistence of the violence pointed to interests beyond communal conflicts. “The homogeneous communities of the Middle Belt have quietly decided that by 2027, they will take their destinies into their hands, and many people will not be comfortable with it, particularly the political elite,” the governor said.
The recent attacks in Barkin Ladi represent a significant escalation in a region that has long struggled with farmer‑herder conflicts, land disputes, and ethno‑religious tensions. Successive administrations have attempted to restore lasting peace, but the cycle of violence has continued, with each attack leaving deeper scars on the affected communities. For the people of Nding Sesut, the immediate concern is not politics but survival. They have buried their dead in shallow graves, under the threat of gunfire, and now they must find a way to rebuild their shattered lives.
The Plateau State Police Command has urged residents to remain calm, law‑abiding, and to cooperate with security agencies by providing credible information. The command also reassured the public that it remains committed to protecting lives and restoring lasting peace in the state. However, for the families who lost their loved ones in the burial attack, and for the community that watched its own funeral rites turn into a massacre, the promise of safety rings hollow.
As the sun set on Wednesday, the hills that had overlooked the mass burial stood silent once more. The attackers had retreated, but the fear they left behind was palpable. In Barkin Ladi, no one was sure when the next volley of gunfire would shatter the night.
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