Gunmen suspected to be bandits on Thursday night invaded Rachi community in the Bachi District of Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, killing two persons and injuring five others.
The National President of the Berom Youths Moulder Association (BYM), Barr. Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, confirmed the attack in a statement on Friday in Jos.
He said the incident occurred around 8:00 p.m. when the assailants stormed the community and opened fire on residents.
One of the victims was identified as Dalyop Dangyang, a youth leader reportedly involved in mobilising local vigilantes to secure the area.
Mwantiri said the attackers were believed to be armed herders who had recently regrouped and launched coordinated assaults on several communities in the council area.
“This attack is part of a renewed wave of violence in Riyom and neighbouring local government areas. Government must act decisively to protect our communities and restore security,” he said.
He lamented that previous warnings and alerts had failed to prevent further bloodshed, urging security agencies to intensify patrols and intelligence gathering in the affected zones.
According to Mwantiri, Thursday’s attack came barely four days after six persons were killed in a similar assault on Kwi community in the same local government.
He explained that the earlier incident occurred around 9:50 p.m. last Saturday, following a separate shooting that left one Mr. Kurang Daniel dead while harvesting maize that afternoon.
Mwantiri said the gunmen, who reportedly arrived on motorcycles, were believed to have come from a nearby settlement in the area.
He further dismissed claims that the latest attacks were reprisals, describing them as unfounded and aimed at misleading security operatives.
Residents have called for stronger government intervention and deployment of more security personnel to forestall further attacks on rural communities in Riyom and other parts of the state.