No fewer than three herders were killed and another injured after gunmen ambushed them while they were grazing cattle around the Gero-Rafin Bauna axis in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The herding community said the incident occurred at about 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday as the victims were tending to their cattle in the area.

The Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in Plateau State, Ibrahim Yusuf Babayo, confirmed the incident to journalists on Wednesday.

He identified the deceased as Haruna Hassan, 30; Inusa Usman, 34; and Ismaila Muhammad, 44.

Babayo condemned the attack, describing it as unprovoked, and called on security agencies to investigate the incident and bring those responsible to justice.

Also speaking, Ya’u Idris, MACBAN Chairman in Bassa LGA, said the bodies were recovered after several hours of searching, adding that the victims were allegedly prevented from being located immediately after the attack.

“After they were killed, the perpetrators dumped the bodies in a bushy area and we were prevented from searching immediately. At first we tried, but residents blocked us from going in there.

“Hours later, towards the evening, we went back in search of the corpses. After a long search, we discovered the corpses in a mutilated condition. Their heads and hands had been cut off. There were machete wounds and blood everywhere,” Idris said.

He further alleged that a similar incident occurred in the same area about two weeks ago, during which four herders were killed and their bodies were yet to be recovered.

“We were also prevented from searching for the bodies,” he said.

MACBAN alleged that members of the Berom ethnic group were responsible for the attack.

However, Rwang Tengwong, the National Publicity Secretary of the Berom Youth Moulders Association, described the allegation as misleading.He said, “Available information indicates that the four deceased persons were among a heavily armed group of more than forty attackers who invaded a mining site at Nyango in Gyel District on 29th June 2026, opening fire on local miners and resulting in the death of three innocent citizens while leaving two others with varying degrees of injuries.

“Faced with this unprovoked assault, local vigilante members from Gyel mobilised in defence of their communities and livelihoods. In the ensuing confrontation, four of the attackers were neutralised while the rest escaped from the scene.”

The spokesperson for the Plateau State Police Command, SP Alabo Alfred, did not respond to enquiries by our correspondent as of the time of filing this report. (Daily Trust)