The Berom Youth Moulders Association, BYM, has confirmed the killing of Rwas Paul Danladi, a former chairman of the association for the Gashish District of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State by gunmen suspected to be Fulani militias.
The National President of BYM, Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, who confirmed the incident in a statement on Thursday morning, said Danladi was attacked by the assailants along the Gashish–Barkin Ladi Road on Wednesday evening while riding a motorcycle back to his village.
Mwantiri said the victim was attacked at Rantis Village, a few miles from his hometown, and shot dead by the attackers, whom he identified as Fulani militias.
“Rwas Paul Danladi was attacked at about 5:30 p.m. around Rantis Village while returning to Barkin Ladi on his motorcycle,” the BYM president said in the statement.
Continuing, he said:
“The association is deeply saddened by the killing of a respected community leader and extends its condolences to his family, friends and the entire Gashish community.”
The youth group also condemned what it described as dangerous propaganda posted on social media immediately after the attack by one Iliyasu Ibrahim Shagari, claiming that two Fulani people had been attacked and killed by alleged Berom militias, when, according to the BYM, it was actually Fulani militias that carried out the attack.
“Of particular concern to BYM is the alleged use of social media to distort information and create a false narrative immediately after the incident,” Mwantiri said.
“The association calls on the security agencies to urgently investigate the social media activities of one Iliyasu Ibrahim Shagari, who, shortly after the attack, posted on Facebook that ‘two Fulanis were killed in Kafi Abu (Rakwok), the next village after Rantis.’
“The timing and content of the post require serious investigation, particularly as it was shared by several persons, including Muhammad Garkuwan Fulbe, who allegedly circulated it across multiple groups.
“BYM demands that the Department of State Services, DSS, thoroughly, impartially and professionally investigate the activities of Shagari to establish the source of the information, how it was obtained so quickly, whether it was deliberately intended to mislead the public, and whether such activities form part of a broader pattern of propaganda designed to obscure attacks and inflame tensions.
“The incident further raises concerns about the growing use of social media as a tool for misinformation and propaganda during violent attacks. Security agencies must not only investigate perpetrators of physical violence but also pay attention to coordinated attempts to manipulate public information, especially when such narratives emerge almost simultaneously with an attack,” he added.
