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Barkin Ladi, Plateau State – By Prime Brief Media

Gunmen attacked mourners gathered for a mass burial in the Nding Fan District of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, Plateau State, on Wednesday, leaving an unconfirmed number of people feared dead and many others wounded, according to multiple eyewitness accounts. The atrocity has drawn sharp international condemnation and a direct call from a United States Congressman for sanctions against Nigeria.

The mourners were burying seven individuals killed in an earlier assault on the community when the attackers, who had been observing the ceremony from surrounding hills, descended on the gathering and opened fire. Vanguard reports that those present included women, children, and the elderly.

Masara Kim, a local journalist who witnessed the attack, told Vanguard that the assailants began shooting as the mourners were digging graves. "There is an ongoing, massive attack on communities south of Jos. More than five communities are under simultaneous assault," Kim said. He reported that a man was shot dead in his presence and that local defenders armed with hunting rifles were quickly overwhelmed by the superior firepower of the attackers.

Rwang Tengwong, publicity secretary of the Berom Youth Moulders Association, described the situation as "terrible" and said frantic efforts were under way to rescue persons trapped in the area. He appealed for the immediate deployment of reinforcements, saying the attackers continued to move from one village to another as night fell.

US Congressman demands sanctions

The escalation has drawn the direct intervention of the United States Congress. Congressman Riley Moore issued a statement calling on President Donald Trump to take "forceful action" against the Nigerian government, citing what he described as its failure to protect Christian communities from systematic attacks.

"I am calling on President Trump to take forceful action in response to the Nigerian government's inaction. This is not a conflict; it is a targeted campaign of violence against Christian communities, and the authorities have failed in their most basic duty — to protect life," Moore said.

Moore, a Republican, was among the lawmakers who advanced provisions in the Fiscal Year 2027 National Security spending bill that would withhold 50 per cent of designated US assistance to Nigeria until the government takes "effective steps" to address religious violence. The fresh attacks are expected to intensify that push.

No official casualty figure had been confirmed by security agencies at the time of this briefing, and neither Operation Enduring Peace nor the Plateau State Police Command had issued a statement. Prime Brief Media is working to independently verify the full scale of the atrocity.

The attack is the latest in a cycle of violence that has claimed hundreds of lives in Berom communities since late 2025. A coalition of Berom ethnic organisations disclosed last month that over 500 people were killed between November 2025 and April 2026 alone.

Prime Brief Media will continue to track security and rescue efforts across the state as this story develops.

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