10 cows shot dead in Plateau community

Gunmen on Friday evening shot 10 cows dead at Tashan Maude, along Rafin Bauna Road, in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State. The Gan Allah Fulani Development Association of Nigeria (GAFDAN) said.

But the spokesman of Operation Safe Haven, Major Ishaku Takwa, who confirmed the incident, said only six cows were killed.

This attack is coming barely a week after gunmen killed at least 10 cows and wounded 23 others while rearing in Waren camp village of Riyom Local Government Area of the state.

The Fulani and Irigwe ethnic groups have often blamed each other for the several attacks and killings in the villages of Bassa LGA.

In the wake of the recent killings in the state, the Commander OPSH, Maj Gen Ibrahim Ali, had on September 12, inaugurated a 36-member joint peace committee to find solutions to attacks and counter-attacks between mostly herders and farmers in Riyom, Jos South, and Bassa LGAs of the state.

The state chairman of GAFDAN, Garba Abdullahi Muhammad, told journalists in Jos that the cows were rearing when the gunmen opened fire on them.

He said, “This is not the first time since the inauguration of the joint peace committee on the recent crisis. Last time, 10 were killed and 23 were injured.

“On Friday, another 10 were killed. It is a deliberate act to provoke us. We have reported the case to the Police Divisional Headquarters in Bassa and Sector 3 of the OPSH.”