Seven cows poisoned, three shot dead as attacks on herders’ livelihoods heighten in Plateau
By: Zagazola Makama
At least seven cows were poisoned in Riyom LGA, while three others were shot dead in Barkin Ladi LGA, Plateau State, in another layer of unprovoked attacks on the economic lifeline of pastoral communities in the region.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that seven cows were poisoned around Kwi village in Riyom LGA, while three others were shot dead around Kuru Gadabiyu in Barkin Ladi LGA, close to the Bicichi axis.
Sources said that the attack was attributed to the Berom Militia amid a series of attacks and reprisals that have gripped Plateau State in recent weeks.
The incidents have aggravated tension in already volatile flashpoints across Plateau, where the destruction of cattle is widely viewed as a direct provocation with serious security implications as attacks on livestock, the primary source of income for herders often trigger swift retaliatory violence, escalating local disputes into wider communal clashes.
It will be recalled that on Jan. 6, three persons were killed during coordinated attacks on Jol community in Riyom LGA and Gero in Gyel District of Jos South LGA. The violence followed the shooting of two Fulani youths in Jos South earlier the same day, one of whom later died.
Security sources said the youths, identified as Zakariya Abdullahi and Jibrin Musa, were ambushed around 8:00 p.m. while returning from Gero village. Abdullahi was killed instantly, while Musa sustained gunshot injuries and was rushed to hospital. The attack was attributed to suspected militia elements and was described by witnesses as unprovoked.
The killings sparked retaliatory attacks in neighbouring communities, reinforcing a familiar pattern in Plateau State, where violence against one group is rapidly followed by reprisals against another.
In the aftermath, the Berom Youths Moulder-Association (BYM) condemned the killings in Jol and Gero, describing them as sustained attacks on indigenous communities, and renewed calls for the proscription of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN).
However, security assessments note that public narratives surrounding such incidents often omit the triggering events, particularly attacks on individuals or livelihoods that precede retaliatory violence, further entrenching mistrust and polarisation. The poisoning and shooting of cattle are not isolated occurrences.
On Dec. 12, 2025, over 130 cattle were reportedly rustled in Nding community, while cases of livestock poisoning were recorded across parts of Jos East and Riyom LGAs. These incidents were followed by deadly clashes, including the killing of four children in Dorong village, Barkin Ladi LGA, and attacks on Gero village that resulted in deaths, injuries and loss of livestock.
Similarly, the Dec. 16, 2025, attack on an illegal mining site at Tosho community in Barkin Ladi LGA, where 12 miners were killed and others abducted, was linked by security sources to earlier incidents of cattle rustling and farmland destruction.
The deliberate targeting of cattle is particularly dangerous because it strikes at the economic survival of herding families, creating pressure for revenge and self-help in the absence of swift justice.
Once livelihoods are attacked, emotions escalate quickly. Poisoning or killing cattle is often interpreted as a declaration of hostility, and it rarely ends without reprisal.
The recurring pattern, shows that unresolved issues such as cattle rustling, livestock poisoning, farmland destruction and targeted killings continue to serve as immediate triggers for violence across Plateau State.
Zagazola warned that unless attacks on both lives and livelihoods are addressed with impartial enforcement of the law, the state risks remaining trapped in a cycle where each incident becomes the justification for the next.
Zagazola stressed stress that sustained, even-handed action against armed militias, criminal networks and economic sabotage alongside protection for vulnerable rural communities is critical to breaking the reprisal chain.
As the latest cattle killings reverberate across Riyom and Barkin Ladi, the fear remains that without decisive intervention, the destruction of livelihoods will once again translate into loss of human lives, prolonging the fragile peace in Plateau State.
