A peace meeting between local residents and members of the Fulani community in Pankshin Local Government Area turned violent on Thursday, leaving one person dead and five others injured after some youths allegedly attempted to seize weapons from soldiers providing security at the gathering.
According to security sources quoted by Zagazola Makama, the incident occurred around 3 pm on May 7 in Mier village.
Troops from Sector 8 of Operation Enduring Peace, stationed at the Fier guard post, had organised the meeting to reduce tensions between local residents and Fulani communities in the area.
The meeting was part of ongoing efforts by security agencies to restore peace following recent cases of communal clashes, cattle rustling, reprisal attacks and mistrust between farming and herding communities in parts of Plateau State.
Sources said the engagement was initially peaceful before some aggrieved youths allegedly became aggressive and attempted to take the rifles of two soldiers providing security at the venue.
“The situation suddenly turned violent when some youths moved aggressively toward the troops and attempted to disarm two soldiers,” a security source said.
The source added that during the struggle, one of the soldiers fired in self-defence to prevent the crowd from overpowering the troops.
As a result, one resident sustained fatal injuries and later died. Four other civilians and one soldier were also injured during the incident.
The injured victims were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment, while the body of the deceased was deposited at the General Hospital morgue in Pankshin.
Security personnel were later deployed in reinforcement to restore calm and prevent further violence, while efforts were made to de-escalate tensions among residents.
Sources also confirmed that four youths accused of attacking the soldiers were arrested.
The incident comes amid continued security concerns and recurrent communal clashes in Plateau State, where troops of Operation Enduring Peace have maintained patrols, peace engagements, arrests and intelligence operations aimed at curbing reprisal attacks, banditry and cattle rustling.
Military authorities and community leaders have repeatedly urged residents to avoid taking the law into their own hands and to cooperate with security agencies in maintaining peace in the state.
