A village in Nigeria's central Plateau state witnessed a tragic incident as armed attackers killed at least 20 individuals, mostly women and children, and set numerous houses ablaze, according to residents and a state official on Tuesday, highlighting the ongoing communal violence in the region.
Plateau, situated in Nigeria's Middle Belt, known for its ethnic and religious diversity, has been plagued by conflicts between farmers and semi-nomadic herders, leading to the loss of countless lives.
The assailants targeted Kubat village in Mangu local government district during the early hours of Tuesday, as reported by witnesses.
Eyewitness Jeremiah Samson recounted the horrific ordeal, stating that the gunmen opened fire indiscriminately, and those attempting to escape were mercilessly shot and killed.
The identity of the perpetrators remains unknown at this time.
In response to the attack, Plateau Governor Simon Lalong instructed the state's security forces to apprehend the assailants, as confirmed by state spokesperson Makut Macham, who refrained from providing the exact number of casualties.
While the Middle Belt violence is often portrayed as an ethnoreligious conflict between Muslim Fulani herders and predominantly Christian farmers, experts and politicians emphasize that climate change and the expansion of agriculture have intensified the competition for land, leading to perpetual conflicts between farmers and herders, regardless of their faith or ethnicity.
