Gunmen in the early hours of Thursday attacked Kum Community in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, leaving two persons dead and one other missing.

The assailants, who struck at about 3a.m., reportedly stormed the community and opened fire sporadically, causing panic among residents.

Confirming the incident, Rwang Tenwong, National Publicity Secretary of the Berom Youth Moulders Association, said the attackers invaded the community while residents were asleep.

He said a local vigilance group had commenced a search for the missing person, while efforts were ongoing to restore calm in the area.

The latest attack came amid rising tension in Riyom LGA following the reported destruction of over 100 irrigation farmlands in the Jol community by suspected herders.

Efforts to obtain a response from Polycarp Otteh, the spokesperson of Operation Enduring Peace, proved abortive as repeated attempts to reach him were unsuccessful, with his phone lines not going through at the time of filing this report.

In a related development, the Plateau State High Court has ordered the remand of four suspects in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) over their alleged involvement in the March, 2026 killings in Angwan Rukuba, Jos North Local Government Area.

The court also adjourned the case to April 30, 2026, for arraignment.

Proceedings could not advance to the plea stage as the defendants appeared in court without legal representation, forcing the court to postpone the hearing.

The accused persons—Isa Umar Ibrahim; Auwalu Abubakar, also known as Auwalu Dogo; Musa Abubakar Ibrahim, also known as Yaroro; and one other—were arrested by the DSS between April 3 and April 10, 2026.

They are being prosecuted by the Plateau State Government on allegations bordering on criminal conspiracy to commit terrorism and other related offences.

The charge, signed by Phillimon Daffi, the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice alleged that the suspects “conspired amongst themselves to commit offences relating to terrorism when they planned, organised, facilitated, aided and contributed money to carry out the attack in Angwan Rukuba, which led to the death of over 30 persons.”

The offences are said to be contrary to Section 269 and punishable under Section 270 of the Penal Code Law of Plateau State, 2017.

When the matter came up on Thursday before Justice Gidelia Damulak Fomyong in Court 12 in Jos, the suspects, who spoke through an interpreter, prayed the court for an adjournment to enable them to engage counsel of their choice.

Joel Tagven, the prosecution counsel and Solicitor-General of Plateau State did not oppose the request but urged the court to remand the suspects in DSS custody for easy access and continuation of investigation.

The judge granted the prayer and adjourned the matter till April 30, 2026, for arraignment.

The suspects were immediately conveyed in a bus to the DSS facility.

Speaking with journalists after the proceedings, the solicitor-general commended President Bola Tinubu for creating an enabling environment for the prosecution of the suspects in the State.

He listed four reasons for appreciating the president: the marching order that led to the arrest of the suspects by the DSS; the directive that the suspects be prosecuted in Plateau State rather than being taken to Abuja, as was the previous practice; the approval of security equipment such as CCTV cameras; and the collaboration that enabled the State to handle the prosecution locally.

The March 28 attack on communities in Bokkos and Bassa Local Government Areas, including Angwan Rukuba in Jos North, left no fewer than 30 persons, including children, dead.

Governor Caleb Mutfwang had condemned the killings, describing them as genocide rather than a farmer-herder clash, and vowed that “life must go on” and that violence on the Plateau would end.

President Tinubu, who visited the state, also assured victims that justice would be served and urged residents to remain vigilant. (BusinessDay)

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