This is the latest in a series of inter-communal attacks ravaging the region, despite repeated deployments of security forces and government promises.
Police in Plateau State, in central Nigeria, said on Tuesday that 20 people had been killed in an attack carried out at the weekend against a community in Bokkos District.
This is the latest in a series of inter-communal attacks ravaging the region, despite repeated deployments of security forces and government promises to put an end to the violence.
Plateau is one of several inland states, characterised by great ethnic and religious diversity, grouped under the name ‘Middle Belt’, where inter-communal conflicts have claimed hundreds of lives in recent years.
Alfred Alabo, a spokesperson for the Plateau State Police, said that officers, working alongside other security forces, had engaged in a “violent exchange of fire” with the attackers early on Sunday morning, before the attackers fled.
Reinforcements ordered
Eighteen people were killed at the scene and two others died later in hospital, Alabo said.
The Plateau State Police Commissioner, Bassey Ewah, has ordered reinforcements to the region, including additional tactical and mobile police units, Alabo added.
According to a security report seen by Anadolu, troops under Operation Enduring Peace responded to distress calls and recovered 12 bodies in Kawel village and six others in Kopkon village.
The state's police public relations officer, Alfred Alabo said efforts are in place to restore normalcy in the affected areas.
History of attacks
Plateau state has witnessed a resurgence of deadly attacks in recent weeks. On June 15, at least eight people were killed and more than 10 others injured when gunmen attacked Gwon-Ajang village in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area during a birthday celebration.
Earlier this month, three residents were killed in separate attacks in Riyom Local Government Area, while seven others, including a police inspector, died in coordinated assaults across communities in Barkin Ladi.
The attacks prompted Plateau state Governor Caleb Mutfwang to announce additional security measures, including restrictions on night grazing and mining activities in vulnerable communities.
Communal tensions, disputes over land and resources, and recurring clashes between farming and herding communities have contributed to persistent insecurity in Plateau state, one of Nigeria’s most volatile regions.
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