Attacks kill at least 160 people in central Nigeria

Armed groups have killed at least 160 people in central Nigeria in a series of attacks on villages, local government officials said.

Nigerians at a police checkpoint outside Mangu, near Jos, in the Plateau State in Nigeria, on 20 May 2023, fleeing unrest in central Nigeria. AFP - -

The toll marked a sharp rise from the initial figure reported by the army on Sunday evening of just 16 dead in a region plagued for several years by religious and ethnic tensions.

"As many as 113 persons have been confirmed killed as Saturday hostilities persisted to early hours of Monday," Monday Kassah, head of the local government in Bokkos, Plateau State, told AFP.

Military gangs, locally called "bandits", launched well-coordinated attacks in not fewer than 20 different communities and torched houses, Kassah said.

"We found more than 300 wounded people who were transferred to hospitals in Bokkos, Jos and Barkin Ladi," he added.

A provisional toll by the local Red Cross reported 104 deaths in 18 villages in the Bokkos region.

At least 50 people were also reported dead in several villages in the Barkin Ladi area, according to Dickson Chollom, a member of the state parliament.

He condemned the attacks and called on the security forces to act swiftly.

"We will not succumb to the tactics of these merchants of death. We are united in our pursuit of justice and lasting peace," Chollom said.

A burned house is seen following an attack in Mangu, in the Plateau State in Nigeria, on 20 May 2023. AFP - -

'Barbaric'

The attacks started in the Bokkos area then spilled into neighbouring Barkin Ladi, where 30 people were found dead, according to local chairman Danjuma Dakil.

On Sunday, Plateau State governor Caleb Mutfwang condemned the violence, calling it barbaric, brutal and unjustified.

"Proactive measures will be taken by the government to curb ongoing attacks against innocent civilians," said Gyang Bere, the governor's spokesperson.

Gunfire could still be heard on Monday afternoon, according to a source from the region, which is on the dividing line between Nigeria's mostly Muslim north and mainly Christian south.

Markus Amorudu, a resident of Mushu village, said people were sleeping when shots rang out.

"We were scared because we weren't expecting an attack. People hid, but the assailants captured many of us, some were killed, others wounded," he told AFP.

Amnesty International criticised the government in the wake of the attacks. "The Nigerian authorities have been failing to end frequent deadly attacks on rural communities of Plateau state," itsaid in a post on social media.

Amnesty International condemns the killing of over 70 people in fresh attacks by gunmen on some communities of Bokkos and parts of Barkin-Ladi LGA of Plateau State. The attacks that started in the night of Saturday also left dozens of people injured and displaced. pic.twitter.com/0JJkNYUiRx

— Amnesty International Nigeria (@AmnestyNigeria) December 25, 2023

North-west and central Nigeria have been long terrorised by bandit militias operating from bases deep in forests and raiding villages to loot and kidnap residents for ransom.

Competition for natural resources between nomadic herders and farmers, intensified by rapid population growth and climate pressures, has also exacerbated social tensions and sparked violence.

A jihadist conflict has raged in north-eastern Nigeria since 2009, killing tens of thousands of people and displacing around two million, as Boko Haram battles for supremacy with rivals linked to the Islamic State group.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a former Lagos governor elected in February in a highly contested ballot, has promised to attract more investment to Africa's largest economy and most populous country in a bid to tackle its persistent security challenges.

 (AFP)