Troops of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), the joint security task force responsible for maintaining peace in Plateau State, have recovered the body of a missing 16-year-old herder and retrieved over 50 rustled cattle in the Ariri community of Bassa Local Government Area.
The recovery was made on Friday, April 11, following coordinated efforts by the troops and local herders.
The deceased, identified as Abdullahi Muhammad, had gone missing earlier while grazing cattle in the area. Reports indicate that more than 70 cattle were rustled during the incident. However, despite earlier denials by Danjuma Auta, Secretary General of the Irigwe Development Association (IDA), who claimed there were no cattle rustling cases in the area and instead alleged recent killings of community members, the operation led to the confirmation of the rustling and the grim discovery.
Ya’u Idris, Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in Bassa, confirmed the recovery of Abdullahi’s body. He said the corpse was discovered in a shallow grave near a riverside in the Ariri general area by OPSH personnel. The body showed signs of brutal mutilation, with the head reportedly beheaded and the left hand severed.
“We have exhumed the body and taken it back home for funeral prayer. More than 80 percent of the cattle were rescued. We thank the security forces, especially the personnel of OPSH, for their efforts towards the recovery of the body and the cattle,” Idris said.
Efforts to obtain official responses from Operation Safe Haven spokesperson Major Samson Zhakom and Plateau State Police Command spokesperson DSP Alabo Alfred were unsuccessful, as both had not responded to messages from reporters at the time of this report.