Fulani leaders fault report on killing of ‘bandit’ in Barkin Ladi, say victim was elderly grandfather
By: Zagazola Makama
Fulani community leaders in Plateau State have faulted a report that troops of Sector 4 of Operation Enduring Peace allegedly killed a suspected bandit at Rungan Jallo in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, saying the victim was an elderly man and grandfather of a Fulani Point-of-Sale operator killed in a separate attack.
The leaders said the man, identified as Alhaji Yusha’u, was allegedly mistaken for a bandit and shot while returning home from Nyola.
According to the community, Yusha’u was the grandfather of Ismail Zakariya, a Fulani POS operator who was reportedly killed in an ambush in Barkin Ladi by Berom militia.
The development came after reports that troops launched an operation following the killing of two female miners and subsequently made contact with suspected militia members at Rungan Jallo.
The report claimed that troops killed one suspected militia member during the encounter and recovered two motorcycles believed to have been used by the attackers.
However, the Fulani community disputed the identity of the person killed, insisting that the victim was not a bandit but an elderly civilian returning home.
A community source told Zagazola Makama that “Alhaji Yusha’u was the grandfather of Ismail Zakariya, the POS operator who was killed by Berom militia. He was on his way home from Nyola when he was allegedly mistaken for a bandit and gunned down.”
The community leaders called for an investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding Yusha’u’s death and determine whether he was involved in the attack that prompted the military operation.
The incident has further heightened concerns among Fulani residents over the safety of civilians caught up in the continuing cycle of attacks and reprisals in parts of Plateau State.
