The number of casualties from the deadly attack on Jebbu Binde village in the Ta-Hoss District of Riyom Local Government Area, Plateau State, on Monday night has climbed to over 30, up from the initial reported figure of 20. On Tuesday, reports emerged detailing how gunmen, suspected to be Fulani militia, launched an assault on the village around 11 pm, killing 20 individuals and injuring several others as terrified residents fled for their lives.
In a joint statement, the chairman and publicity secretary of the Riyom chapter of the Coalition for the Protection of Democracy (COPDEM), Gideon Manjal and Gadu Daniel Dong, condemned the attack. They explained that the assailants, armed with sophisticated weapons, descended on the community while residents were asleep and executed a door-to-door massacre, targeting helpless victims, including women, children, and the elderly.
“The attackers who were properly identified as Fulani extremists by survivors, stormed the Bindi community in Ta-Hoss district of Riyom Local Government Area on Monday night, and in their regular pattern of attack, which is consistent with several previous attacks across Riyom and other parts of Plateau, systematically slaughtered over 20 innocent people, including women, children, and old people,” the statement had said.
Providing an update on Tuesday night, a community youth leader, Dauda Dung, revealed that the death toll had increased to 32. He said seven more bodies were found in the surrounding bushes, and five of the injured later succumbed to their wounds while receiving treatment.
“After the attack on Monday night, 20 people were found dead, but later in the day, after a visit by members of the Plateau State House of Assembly, the youths conducted a search in the surrounding rocks and bushes, where seven corpses were discovered,” Dung said.
“Just this evening (Tuesday evening), I got a call from home that five of the injured victims had died while receiving treatment.
“I was also told that some people who were injured are still in critical condition, which means we may end up losing more innocent people from the attack.
“We will continue to plead with the government and security agencies to be proactive in providing adequate security for our communities because this is not the first time these Fulani militias have attacked us and surely, this will not be the last,” Dung said.