Three young herders killed in an attack in Plateau State's Mangu Local Government Area were buried on Sunday at Mangu Cemetery following funeral prayers at Mangu Central Mosque, as relatives and community members gathered to mourn their deaths. The victims, Garzali Shaibu, 18; Salim Abubakar, 15; and Bashiru Yakubu, 14, were attacked on Saturday while grazing cattle in the Aloghom area. About 50 cattle were also killed during the assault.
Burial and Funeral Prayers in Mangu
The Chief Imam of Mangu Central Mosque, Jibrin Ahmad Dalhat, led the funeral prayer before the three young men were laid to rest. According to Dailytrust, the burial drew mourners from the community, with relatives expressing grief over the loss of the young herders.
The attack occurred in the Aloghom area of Mangu LGA, an area that has seen repeated incidents of violence in recent years. Security personnel present at the burial confirmed that investigations into the killings were ongoing and urged the community to remain calm.
MACBAN Condemns the Aloghom Attack
Ibrahim Yusuf Babayo, the Plateau State chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), described the killings as unprovoked and called on the authorities to act. Speaking at the burial, MACBAN's secretary in Mangu, Muhammad Salihu, called on young people in the community to stay calm and allow the law to take its course rather than seek revenge.
"We are calling on the government and security agencies to look into the incessant killing of our members and destruction of our property," Salihu said. He added that herders in the Aloghom area had endured more than 11 attacks and appealed for government action to protect all residents, irrespective of their ethnic or religious background.
Security Forces Urge Restraint
Security personnel present at the burial told the community to exercise restraint, assuring them that investigators were already looking into the circumstances surrounding the attack. The assurance came as Plateau State continues to experience a long pattern of deadly clashes involving herders and farming communities, with Mangu LGA among the areas that have recorded repeated incidents of violence in recent years.
In a related development, Legit.ng earlier reported that the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Kaduna State chapter, has said cattle rustlers and related insecurity have cost its members more than 200,000 cows and over 50 lives since January 2026. The latest attack in Mangu adds to the growing toll of violence affecting herding communities in Nigeria's middle belt region.
