Chaos erupted in Ndang village, Fan District of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, as gunmen attacked residents during a mass burial, leaving many feared dead and several others injured.
The victims were being buried following a Tuesday night assault that claimed seven lives, including an entire family of five, when the attackers struck again on Wednesday afternoon.
Residents said the assailants, who had reportedly positioned themselves on surrounding hills, descended on the community and opened fire as mourners dug graves for the deceased.
A community member, Weng Christopher, said the attackers stormed the area and targeted unsuspecting residents, deepening fear in a region already grappling with recurring violence.
Eyewitness and journalist, Masara Kim, who spoke by telephone, described the incident as part of coordinated attacks across multiple communities.
“So right now, there is an ongoing attack, a massive attack, actually, in communities 20 miles south of Jos. We are told the communities are more than five right now that are experiencing simultaneous attacks,” he said.
He recounted how the burial was abruptly cut short as reports emerged of advancing gunmen.
“Right under my eyes, I saw a man fall after he was shot by a terrorist, who emerged from the surrounding hills and started shooting and advancing in the direction of the community where I was, where we were observing, witnessing the burial of seven people who were killed last night in a village located in the Fan district of Barkin Ladi local council.
“So while the mass burial was ongoing, we got information. Actually, before the mass burials commenced, while locals were digging the mass graves for the seven people, we got information that the terrorists were advancing. They were mobilising to launch an attack.
“And so the mass grave was just a little below two feet, but they had to abandon the digging and just dump the bodies in them. There weren’t any official funeral rites yet. You know, there was just a prayer, very brief, and they had to just be buried. And moments later, there were incoming gunshots.”
Kim said local defenders, armed with rudimentary weapons, were quickly overwhelmed.
“Eventually, all of us were overwhelmed, and the entire community was overrun. And we had to run for our dear lives.
“The video you saw, the first video, was me just standing in the outskirts of the community, just recording what was going on. We could hear gunshots in the distance, but we didn’t realise how close it already was.
“By the time we realised how close it was, people were already falling, and they had already come too close, and we had to run and abandon our vehicle in the centre of the community.
“I just made it out of safety, but for those that are left behind, they’re going to have mercy on their souls.”
He added that he could not confirm the exact casualty figure due to the volatile situation.
Reacting, the Publicity Secretary of the Berom Youth-Moulders Association, Rwang Tengwom, described the situation as dire, revealing that efforts were underway to rescue individuals trapped in the affected area.
“I am on a bike now to the place. The situation is quite bad, and we learnt that our president is trapped. We’re going there to rescue him by all means,” Tengwom said.
