At least seven farmers were killed late Wednesday in Bum community, Chugwi area of Vwang District, Jos South Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau State.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that the assailants struck around 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, when most residents were asleep.
The attackers reportedly killed the farmers in their homes and on nearby farmlands before fleeing the area.
Confirming the incident on Thursday, the spokesperson of the Berom Youths Moulder-Association (BYM), Mr. Rwang Tengwong, said seven bodies had so far been recovered, while search and rescue operations were ongoing in surrounding bushes.
Tengwong noted that the attack occurred despite prior security alerts warning that several communities in Jos South LGA faced imminent threats.
“According to local sources, the tragic incident happened despite an earlier security alert indicating that some communities in Jos South LGA had been earmarked for possible attacks,” he said.
“Sadly, Bum community has now fallen victim to this renewed wave of violence, adding to the growing list of assaults on innocent rural communities in Plateau State.”
Security sources linked the Bum killings to an ongoing reprisal cycle triggered by a series of violent incidents involving pastoral and farming communities across Barkin Ladi, Jos East, Riyom and Jos South LGAs throughout December 2025.
The immediate precursor to the Bum attack was the shooting of five Fulani youths on December 27, 2025, near Con Filling Station along Bukuru Express Road, close to Angle D in Jos South LGA.
The victims, Abubakar Aji, Idi Saleh, Sulaiman, Nura Muhammad Detta and Dabo Abubakar—were reportedly returning from Bukuru Cattle Market when gunmen suspected to be Berom militias allegedly opened fire on their vehicle.
They sustained critical injuries and were taken to Jos University Teaching Hospital for treatment.
Reacting to the incident, the Plateau State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Ibrahim Yusuf, condemned the shooting, describing it as part of a recurring pattern of attacks on Fulani travellers and pastoral communities.
He called for an urgent investigation and improved security along major roads and commercial routes.
Security officials noted that the December 27 shooting followed an earlier deadly incident on December 16, 2025, when gunmen attacked an illegal mining site in Tosho community, Fann District of Barkin Ladi LGA. During that attack, 12 miners were killed and three abducted after the assailants allegedly demanded information on the whereabouts of 171 cattle stolen from Nding community on December 10.
The violence had begun earlier in the month with repeated attacks on pastoral assets.
On December 12, herders in Nding community, Fan District of Barkin Ladi LGA, lost about 137 cattle to rustlers. The animals reportedly belonged to Alhaji Wada Sale, Abdullahi Yusuf and Alhaji Talba Abubakar.
Less than 24 hours later, another rustling incident occurred in Kukukah community of Jos East LGA, where 34 cattle were stolen, though three later returned. Soon after, nine cows reportedly died after allegedly grazing on poisonous substances around Kwi village in Riyom LGA, further inflaming tensions.
The situation worsened two days later when four children were killed in Dorong village, Foron District of Barkin Ladi LGA, in what residents described as a Fulani reprisal attack. The victims were identified as Precious Joshuah, 17; Isa’ac Joshuah, 9; Mary Joshuah, 7; and Eve Sambo, 3.
Security agencies have yet to issue a detailed public statement on the latest attack, as residents fear further reprisals if urgent measures are not taken to halt the spiralling violence.
Seven farmers killed as reprisal attacks escalate in Plateau
