Some youth leaders in Faan District of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State have raised alarm over what they described as an unprecedented influx of Fulani herdsmen into their communities.
Youth leaders said the herdsmen come from neighboring states like Nasarawa and Bauchi.
They expressed concern that the influx could be a precursor to new attacks, after a relative calm in recent weeks.
A youth leader from one of the communities that make up the district, John Davou, who raised the alarm in a telephone conversation with Newslodge on Friday, said that in the last two weeks, hundreds of herders have been seen moving towards the rocks surrounding the communities, along with thousands of their livestock.
Davou said that in the past, such an influx of herders would not have raised any concerns as it was customary for herders to move to new areas after local farmers had harvested their crops.
He urged security agencies to take note of the development and act quickly to prevent any attack.
“When we were growing up, we did not see the arrival of the Fulani herdsmen as something to worry about. We had good friends among them and we always looked forward to their arrival after the harvest.
“But with what has been happening in the last two decades, where bandits among them have turned our communities into their killing fields with incessant violent attacks and the destruction of our villages, this time we are worried about the influx.
“We hereby call on security agencies, especially the Barkin Ladi sector of Operation Enduring Peace, to be proactive and increase security in our local communities in case these people are up to something unpleasant,” Davou added.