At least three artisanal miners were confirmed killed and several others injured following an attack at a mining site at Jol community in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State by gunmen suspected to be Fulani militias.
National Publicity Secretary of the Berom Youth Moulders Association, BYM, Rwang Tengwong, who confirmed the attack in a statement on Wednesday morning, said the assailants stormed the site at about 6pm on Tuesday and opened fire randomly, forcing the workers to flee for safety.
Quoting a survivor, Tengwong said the gunmen were positively identified as Fulani militias as they were communicating with each other in their local dialect.
“The miners identified the gunmen as Fulani militias because they were speaking their Fulani language. When they arrived at the mining site in the evening at about 6pm, they began shooting sporadically.
“Three persons were confirmed killed on the spot while an unspecified number were injured,” the BYM spokesperson said.
Tengwong, who condemned the attack and killing of the innocent miners, described the incident as disturbing and unacceptable and called on security agencies to urgently investigate the attack, apprehend those responsible and strengthen security around rural communities to prevent further loss of lives.
