At least 24 people have been killed after gunmen attacked Bin-Per community in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, residents have said.
The attackers, reportedly armed with guns and machetes, invaded the community on Monday night, forcing residents to flee their homes as gunshots and screams filled the area.
A resident, Mathew Joseph, said he and other residents ran for safety after hearing gunshots and seeing armed men approaching their homes.
“We were sleeping, we heard some noises, some people in our neighbourhood were screaming,” Joseph told AFP.
He said he and his family managed to escape before the attackers reached their home.
Joseph said 24 people were killed in the attack, a figure also given by another resident, Muftwan Yamput, who said some of his neighbours were among the victims.
“We survived by the whisker, but my neighbours were attacked, two people killed in their house,” Yamput said.
A field officer with the International Committee of the Red Cross, Biplang Moses, confirmed the attack but did not provide details on the number of casualties.
The police had yet to comment on the incident.
The latest attack occurred amid renewed tension in parts of Plateau State, where clashes between farming communities and nomadic herders have persisted for years.
The disputes have largely centred on land, water resources and grazing routes, often resulting in deadly attacks and reprisals.
Residents said the latest violence followed the killing of two herders in the area last week. The deaths were reportedly followed by a suspected reprisal attack on nearby Maitimbe community, where several houses were burnt.
Plateau State, located in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, has experienced repeated communal violence linked to competition over land and resources, as well as ethnic, religious and political differences.
Although some groups have described the violence as persecution of Christians, the Federal Government and independent researchers have said the conflicts are driven by a combination of social, economic, environmental and security factors.
The latest killings have renewed concerns about the safety of rural communities in the state.
