The Berom Youth Moulders-Association (BYM) has formally denied claims made by the Plateau State branch of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) regarding the death of three herders in the Tanjol area of Riyom Local Government Area. MACBAN chairman Ibrahim Yusuf Babayo had publicly alleged that Berom youth militias ambushed and killed these individuals while they were tending to livestock.
Rwang Tengwom, the National Publicity Secretary for the BYM, dismissed these allegations as fabricated propaganda intended to justify ongoing violence against local communities. The association contends that these narratives are consistently used to deflect blame from terrorist groups operating within the region. According to the BYM, the actual events on Sunday involved an unprovoked invasion of the Jol community by armed terrorists originating from Mahanga.
The BYM clarified that during the conflict, local resident Thomas Damang was killed, and three others—Ishaku Pam, Ezra Yakubu, and Shedrack Danladi—suffered gunshot wounds. In the course of a defensive operation involving security personnel and local vigilantes, three of the invading militants were killed and five others were wounded. The BYM maintains that those reported dead by MACBAN were, in fact, the armed attackers who had been neutralized during the confrontation.
Expressing deep concern over the use of social media to spread misinformation, the BYM has demanded that security agencies, including the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force, identify and prosecute the individuals behind the Gafdan Media Team Facebook page. The group argues that this form of information warfare is used to protect violent actors and must be addressed with urgency to ensure justice for the affected communities.
