A female vigilante leader identified only as Tawa, alongside three others including another woman, have been killed in two separate attacks carried out by suspected Fulani militias in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State.

President of the Butura Youth Movement, BYM, Sabastine Magit, who confirmed the incidents on Thursday, said the attacks, which occurred between Tuesday and Wednesday in two villages in the Butura district of the LGA, also led to two other persons sustaining injuries.

Magit also confirmed that those who lost their lives include two men and two women after the bandits ambushed and opened fire on them in what he described as barbaric and senseless attacks.

Magit narrated that the first incident occurred near Maikatako village, while the second one occurred near Butura Kampani village.

“The Butura Youth Movement, BYM, is deeply saddened by the recent spate of attacks on peaceful communities in the Butura district of Bokkos Local Government Area, Plateau State,” Magit said in the statement.

“In the past 24 hours, four of our members, including a dedicated female vigilante leader, have been murdered in separate incidents.

“Tragically, while returning from a mining camp where she volunteered to assist government security forces in protecting civilians involved in tin mining, Tawa was attacked and killed, along with another woman traveling with her on a motorcycle. The motorcycle driver was injured.

“Just a day before Tawa’s murder, two young vigilante volunteers were killed and another injured in nearby Maikatako village, further indicating a coordinated effort aimed at making our communities vulnerable,” the youth president said.

He unequivocally accused Fulani herders of perpetrating the attacks and wondered why security agencies failed to heed advanced warnings about the planned attacks, which should have prompted increased patrols and surveillance in the Butura district and surrounding areas by law enforcement agencies.