Two Fulani youths were ambushed late Tuesday while returning from Gero village in Jos South Local Government Area (LGA) in the latest unprovoked attack by suspected Berom militia in Plateau state.
Akelicious gathered from sources that the victims, Zakariya Abdullahi and Jibrin Musa, were attacked by suspected Berom militia around 8:00 p.m. Abdullahi was killed on the spot, while Musa sustained gunshot injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital for medical attention.
The latest ambush of Zakariya Abdullahi and Jibrin Musa fits this established pattern of escalating attacks, in which pastoral and farming communities are alternately targeted in a cycle of reprisals.
The recent spate of violence follows the deadly December 31, 2025, attack in Bum community, Chugwi area of Vwang District, Jos South LGA, where at least seven farmers were killed in their homes and farmlands. That attack occurred despite prior security alerts warning of potential threats to several rural communities.
Akelicious had link the Bum killings to an escalating cycle of reprisal attacks. On December 27, 2025, five Fulani youths were shot near Con Filling Station along Bukuru Express Road, sustaining critical injuries. Local sources allege that the gunmen, suspected Berom militia, targeted the youths without provocation as they returned from Bukuru Cattle Market.
The December violence traces further back to attacks on mining sites and pastoral assets. On December 16, 2025, gunmen attacked an illegal mining site at Tosho community, Barkin Ladi LGA, by Fulani Bandits, killing 12 miners and abducting three others. The assault reportedly followed cattle rustling in nearby communities, including the loss of 137 cattle in Nding community on December 12, and additional theft and poisoning of livestock across Jos East and Riyom LGAs.
The unrest has also seen civilian casualties, including the killing of four children in Dorong village, Foron District, Barkin Ladi LGA, in what residents describe as a Fulani reprisal attack. Other retaliatory attacks have reportedly targeted Gero village in Jos South LGA, resulting in the deaths and injury of both humans and livestock.
Despite multiple warnings and early alerts, affected communities have repeatedly decried slow response by the state government and selective enforcement that fails to dismantle armed militias on all sides.
The lack of decisive action against armed militias on both sides has fueled unending attacks, mistrust, making people in rural settlements increasingly vulnerable to attacks. Unresolved issues such as cattle rustling, livestock poisoning, and targeted killings act as triggers for revenge attacks, creating a self-perpetuating spiral of violence.
