Gunmen Attack Plateau Villages, Kill 13 and Destroy Farmlands in Fresh Night Raid
Story: written by Okafor Joseph October 16,2025
Terror returned to Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State on Tuesday night as armed men launched coordinated assaults on Rachas village in Heipang District and Rawuru village in Fan District, killing 13 residents, injuring many others, and razing farmlands.
Confirming the tragedy, the Executive Chairman of Barkin Ladi LGA, Stephen Gyang Pwajok, described the incidents as well-planned and simultaneous attacks. He made the remarks during the mass burial of the victims held at Rachas on Wednesday.
Pwajok condemned the killings as unprovoked and barbaric, linking them to ongoing efforts by the assailants to displace local communities and seize ancestral lands. He assured residents that the government would continue to explore all security and peacebuilding options to end the cycle of violence.
Also speaking, the District Head of Heipang, Da Paul Tadi-Tok, lamented the repeated attacks on innocent villagers and called for decisive government action. He urged security agencies to regulate herders’ movements in non-Fulani communities to prevent infiltration by armed groups posing as herders.
The traditional ruler further advocated for the revitalization of Operation Rainbow, Plateau State’s community security outfit, to ensure faster emergency responses in rural areas.
In his remarks, Brigadier General Shippi Gakji Goshwe (Rtd.), Security Adviser to Governor Caleb Mutfwang and Coordinator of Operation Rainbow, disclosed that the outfit was undergoing fresh recruitment and training to strengthen local security collaboration and curb recurring violence.
