Five Injured as Gunmen Attack Herders in Jos
Five herders were injured on Sunday evening after gunmen opened fire on them at a Conoil filling station along the Bukuru Expressway in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) confirmed the incident, identifying the victims as its members.
The Plateau State chairman of MACBAN, Ibrahim Yusuf Babayo, said the herders were travelling in a J5 open-body vehicle when they were attacked. “The vehicle was carrying eight herders, and five of them sustained bullet wounds. They were rushed to hospital for treatment,” he said.
Also speaking, the deputy chairman of Kara Market, Dauda Adam Ciroma, described the attack as deadly, noting that police officers from the B Division responded swiftly.
“Immediately after the attack, police officers arrived and actively participated in taking the victims to the hospital. It was the police and I who took them there. They were badly injured, with fractures and bullet wounds,” Ciroma said.
In a statement issued on Monday, Babayo said the incident occurred as the herders were returning from Kara Market, a major cattle market in Bukuru. According to him, three gunmen riding on a motorcycle, who had been trailing the victims, stormed the filling station and opened fire before fleeing.
“The victims, eight in number, were initially rushed to the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) but were later moved to The Potters Specialist Hospital, Jos, due to the ongoing strike at the government hospital,” he said.
Babayo described the attack as unprovoked, adding that the herders had only stopped to buy fuel. “This attack is unprovoked because the herders were just buying fuel. The gunmen specifically targeted them. This has become a dangerous trend threatening the existence of Fulani herders in the state,” he said.
He added that the association had urged its members to remain calm, noting that the attacks appeared intended to provoke reprisals. “We call on security agencies to investigate this incident and arrest the perpetrators. Our lives in communities, grazing fields, markets and other places are no longer safe,” Babayo said.
Efforts to obtain reactions from the spokespersons of Operation Enduring Peace and the Plateau State Police Command, Major Samson Zhakom and SP Alabo Alfred respectively, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
