According to a report by Daily Post on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, the Regional Chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) for Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, has disclosed that the nine people killed during the overnight attack on Kum Community in Riyom Local Government Area of the state on Saturday were all members of his extended family.
He made the revelation on Monday while officiating at the mass burial held for the victims, describing the incident as another painful tragedy that had struck his family. Watch video here
Speaking during the burial ceremony, Dachomo explained that the latest killings were part of a series of attacks that have repeatedly affected both his immediate and extended family over the years.
He said the deaths of the nine relatives had deepened the grief his family had continued to endure following previous violent incidents in the area.
The cleric stated that this was not the first occasion on which members of his family had been singled out and killed by Islamist extremists.
According to him, the attacks against his relatives became more frequent after he began speaking publicly about what he described as the ongoing genocide in Plateau State, insisting that he had taken it upon himself to draw global attention to the violence affecting communities in the region.
Dachomo recounted some of the painful experiences his family had suffered in earlier attacks, he said his grandmother was murdered in a brutal manner, while one of his uncles also lost his life in a similarly horrific attack.
He noted that these incidents remained unforgettable for his family and continued to serve as reminders of the violence they had endured.
He maintained that despite the repeated loss of loved ones, he had remained committed to speaking out about the situation in Plateau State.
According to him, the attacks on his family had not deterred him from drawing attention to the plight of affected communities, even as he continued to mourn the deaths of relatives who had been killed over the years.
The COCIN regional chairman also said that although the killings had brought immense pain and sorrow, he had chosen the path of forgiveness instead of revenge.
He stressed that his decision was rooted in his Christian faith, even as he remembered the relatives whose lives were cut short in the various attacks that had affected his family.
“The same people killed my grandmother. They removed her heart after killing her. My uncle was also killed, and they cut out his tongue. Yet they will say I am lying about genocide. But I have forgiven them. Yes, Fulani killers, I have forgiven you for this murder of my family members,” he added.
