A deadly overnight assault has left at least twelve people dead at a mining site in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, a central Nigerian state in the North-Central geopolitical zone of Nigeria, once again throwing rural security concerns into national focus.
The attack occurred on Tuesday night, Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at a mining location in the Ratoso Fan community, a rural settlement within Barkin Ladi Local Government Area. Residents said armed men suspected to be militia members stormed the site while miners were actively working, opening fire without warning and causing chaos as workers fled in different directions to escape the gunfire.
Confirming the incident on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, the Chairman of the Berom Educational and Cultural Organisation, a socio-cultural body representing the Berom ethnic group in Plateau State, and Secretary of the Mining Committee in Barkin Ladi, Dagallang Davott, said the confirmed death toll stood at twelve, while several other miners remained unaccounted for.
“The number of those missing is yet to be ascertained because the incident happened in the night,” Davott said.
Condemning the violence, he explained further, “There was an attack at Fan yesterday. It happened in the night, but I cannot give you the exact time. The gunmen stormed the mining site and opened fire on the miners. So, many of them fled for their lives during the incident. But twelve persons so far have been confirmed killed.”
Okay News reports that the attack has heightened anxiety among residents of mining communities in Barkin Ladi, many of whom depend on artisanal mining for survival amid Nigeria’s economic pressures.
A resident of the community, Moses Daniel, also confirmed the killings, describing the incident as devastating for the area. “Yes, it happened. Twelve people were killed last night at a mining site in Ratoso Fan community, my hometown,” Daniel said.
Daniel added that the scale of the attack has renewed fears about the safety of rural settlements in Plateau State, noting that the 3rd Division of the Nigerian Army, a major formation of the Nigerian Armed Forces responsible for security operations in parts of central Nigeria, has been notified.
When contacted, the spokesman of the division, Aliyu Danja, acknowledged the report, saying, “Thanks for the update. Will check and revert back.”
The incident adds to a series of violent attacks in Plateau State, a region that has witnessed repeated clashes and armed assaults over the years, particularly in rural and resource-rich communities.
Only days before the latest killings, Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang, the elected chief executive of the state, undertook a series of high-level security engagements in Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital city, in a renewed push to strengthen security collaboration.
The governor held meetings with senior military leaders, including the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, and the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, to discuss coordinated efforts aimed at safeguarding rural communities, especially as the end-of-year festive season approaches.
Earlier in the same week, Governor Mutfwang also met with Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja, where discussions focused on evolving security strategies to curb violence across Plateau State and the wider North-Central region.
As residents mourn the dead, calls are growing louder for more decisive security interventions to protect mining communities and prevent further bloodshed.
