The National President of the Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM), Barrister Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, has raised alarm over fresh cases of rape and sexual assault allegedly perpetrated by armed herders against women and girls in communities across Barkin Ladi and Riyom Local Government Areas of Plateau State.

Mwantiri claimed that after forcefully occupying several villages in the affected areas, the assailants have now resorted to molesting women and destroying farmlands that were close to harvest.

Speaking in a video recorded during his visit to some of the affected communities, the youth leader lamented that the attackers, whom he identified as Fulani militants, were not content with seizing lands and killing residents but were now deliberately humiliating women and children.

“We are here in Gassa, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, Plateau State,” Mwantiri said. “Over 60 farmlands that were ready for harvest in just a few weeks have been deliberately grazed upon and destroyed. The farmers are left in tears and hunger, as this was their only means of livelihood.”

He described the destruction as intentional, alleging that the herders moved their cattle from Fass, about three kilometers away, to Gassa to destroy the crops.

“There are uncultivated lands they could have used, but they chose to graze on people’s farms to cause hardship,” he said. “Now these farmers are being turned into beggars on their own land.”

The BYM president called on authorities to declare the affected areas a “terrorist enclave,” saying residents can no longer sleep peacefully due to persistent attacks.

“If this level of destruction can happen in broad daylight, one can only imagine what happens at night,” he added.

Mwantiri further alleged that in recent weeks, more than 300 farms were destroyed in Riyom alone, describing the incidents as part of an “economic war” against the Berom people.

“Apart from destroying farmlands, they are killing our people, raping women, defiling children, and displacing entire communities. Any woman who resists them is either killed or severely injured,” he said.

According to him, over 4,000 farmlands—covering thousands of hectares—have been completely destroyed in 2025 across Gassa and surrounding areas, including Rahos, Faan, and Heipang.
He warned that the ongoing attacks were designed to weaken local communities economically and subject them to extreme hunger.