In Barkin Ladi local government, Plateau, at least 12 people were killed and three others kidnapped late on Tuesday night after armed gunmen launched a brutal attack on a mining site located in the Ratoso Fan community.
The assailants struck the site around 9:00 p.m., according to community accounts, as artisanal miners were engaged in what leaders described as legal mining activities.
Barrister Solomon Dalyop, National President of the Berom Youth Moulder Association (BYM), which represents local youth groups, detailed the horrors of the assault in a telephone interview. “Our people were carrying out their legitimate mining business in Fan of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area around 9 p.m. on Tuesday when armed men attacked them, killing 12 and taking away three others. Five people were injured in the attack,” Dalyop said.
He condemned the violence and said the attack was carried out “without provocation,” underscoring the growing insecurity facing rural communities in the state.
Therefore, eyewitnesses described a scene of chaos and panic as the gunmen opened fire indiscriminately, forcing miners to flee in all directions. Some survivors said the attackers had been lying in wait in surrounding bushes before the violence erupted.
In addition to the 12 confirmed fatalities and three abductions, five others were wounded and rushed to nearby medical facilities for treatment.
Local leaders also fear that additional victims may remain unaccounted for, as the night-time attack left several people missing amid the confusion of the assault. “The number of those missing is yet to be ascertained because the incident happened at night,” Dallang Davott, Chairman of the Berom Educational and Cultural Organisation (BECO) and Secretary of the mining committee in Barkin Ladi, told reporters.
The attack has once again ignited concerns among residents about persistent insecurity in Plateau State, a region that has experienced repeated violence linked to communal tensions, banditry, and clashes between farming and herding groups.
Security analysts warn that recurring assaults on civilians engaged in legitimate economic activity could undermine public confidence and disrupt local livelihoods unless more robust protective measures are deployed ahead of the festive season.
