By ZAGAZOLA MAKAMA

At least five persons have been confirmed killed following a reprisal attack in Kwi community, Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, after suspected Berom militias reportedly shot and slaughtered several cows belonging to Fulani herders.

Security sources told Zagazola Makama on Saturday that the initial attack on the cattle occurred around 4:45 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 30, when armed youths invaded grazing areas in Kwi and opened fire on the herders’ livestock.

According to the sources, more than a dozen cows were killed, while several others sustained gunshot and machete injuries. The incident triggered a swift reprisal later that night, resulting in the deaths of five people within the same vicinity.

“The attackers shot over ten cows and butchered some. In the night, there was a counter-attack that led to the death of five people,” sources said.

Zagazola gathered that the situation has heightened tension in the area, with residents fleeing their homes in fear of further violence.

Troops of Operation Safe Haven and other security forces have since been deployed to the area to restore calm and prevent escalation.

Zagazola recalls that Riyom and neighboring Barkin Ladi local government areas have remained flashpoints of recurrent ethno-communal violence between Berom farmers and Fulani herders, as government of the state failed to contain the crises. (Zagazola, excluding headline)