Three Fulani herders have been killed, two others are missing and 36 cattle slaughtered after suspected Mwaghavul militia gunmen attacked a group of herders at Alohom community in Sabon Gari District of Mangu Local Government Area, Plateau State.
The bloody attack, as gathered, also left 12 other cattle with gunshot wounds and triggered heightened security operations in the troubled area.
Eyewitnesses narrated on Saturday that the troops of Sector 8, Operation Enduring Peace, were alerted after receiving reports that herders grazing in the area had come under attack.
Soldiers deployed from Sabon Gari immediately moved to the scene, where they found the bodies of three herders with fatal injuries and several dead cattle bearing gunshot wounds.
A military source, Zagazola Makama, narrated that the surviving members of the group told the troops that two other herders were unaccounted for, prompting security personnel to begin efforts to establish their whereabouts.
Some Fulani eyewitnesses alleged that the attackers were militia members suspected to be from the Mwaghavul ethnic group operating around Alohom, Gaude and Mangu Halle.
The allegation had not been independently established as troops intensified efforts to identify and apprehend those responsible.
There were also claims by some Fulani residents that security personnel from a sister security agency were seen around the area during the attack but allegedly failed to intervene.
The military official, who spoke under anonymity, disclosed that the allegation was also being investigated, just as the troops recovered empty tear-gas canisters from the scene.
It was learnt that the incident has heightened tension in the area, with troops conducting clearance patrols and dominating the general area to prevent further attacks and maintain law and order.
Security sources warned that the killings could trigger another cycle of reprisal violence between herding and farming communities, particularly in an area where communal disputes have previously escalated into deadly clashes.
The military consequently warned members of the affected Fulani community against taking the law into their own hands, urging them to allow security agencies to investigate the killings and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Security officials expressed concern that the deaths of three herders, disappearance of two others and loss of livestock could fuel anger and provoke retaliatory attacks against communities with no direct connection to the incident.
The attack, meanwhile, has renewed debate over what some affected communities describe as unequal responses to attacks in Plateau State, with herder groups alleging that killings involving their communities sometimes receive less public condemnation.
Security officials, however, warned that perceived grievances and selective responses to violence could further weaken confidence in lawful channels and encourage reprisal attacks.
They stressed that every civilian life lost in the recurring violence should attract equal condemnation, regardless of ethnicity, religion or community.
Sources from the military disclosed that the troops under Operation HARD KNOCK were continuing operations in the area to track down the perpetrators and prevent further escalation.
It added that troops remained deployed across the general area to forestall any breakdown of law and order and protect residents from further attacks.