At least 50 villagers shot dead in restive Nigerian state
- Curfew imposed as Nigeria’s Plateau state wrestles with intercommunal violence
- Killings follow Christmas Day attack in the area which left at least 140 people dead
Gunmen killed at least 50 villagers over two days in Nigeria’s north-central Plateau state, survivors said on Thursday, prompting a 24-hour curfew and calls for authorities to end violence between nomadic cattle herders and farming communities.
No group took responsibility for the killings that took place in remove villages over a two-day period, the second such attack in less than a month in the restive state where more than 140 people were killed in December.
Gunmen stormed villages in Plateau’s Mangu district on Monday and Tuesday firing on residents and setting fire to houses, the Mwaghavul Development Association community association said. Reports of the attacks were delayed because of difficulty in accessing the area.
More bodies were recovered Thursday and many were missing or seriously wounded, according to Mathias Sohotden, a community leader. Amnesty International’s Nigeria office said it estimated a death toll much higher than the 30 it has so far confirmed.
The violence angered many in Nigeria and pressure mounted on the country’s leader, Bola Tinubu, who is in France on a private visit.
Tinubu was elected president last year after promising to tackle Nigeria’s deadly security crisis but observers say the situation has not improved under his government.
