Armed groups killed at least 160 people in a series of attacks on villages.
Armed groups have killed at least 160 people in a series of attacks on villages in central Nigeria. The death toll in the region, which has been grappling with religious and ethnic tensions for several years, rose significantly from the initial figures reported by the army on Sunday evening. “At least 113 people have been confirmed dead as Saturday’s hostilities continued into the early hours of Monday morning,” Kasah, the head of local government in Bokos, told AFP.
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Military gangs, locally known as “bandits,” Kasah said. They attacked “at least 20 different communities” and set houses on fire. “We received more than 300 injured people” who were transferred to hospitals in Bokos, Jos and Barkin Ladi, he said. At least 50 people are reported to have been killed in several villages in the Birkin Ladi area, according to state Member of Parliament Dickson Cholom.
He condemned the attack and called on the security forces to take immediate action. “We will not succumb to the tactics of these merchants of death, we are united in our pursuit of justice and lasting peace,” Cholom said. The attacks, which started in Bokos area, spread to neighboring Barkin Ladi, where 30 people were killed, according to local president Danjuma Dakile. On Sunday, state governor Caleb Muthwang condemned the violence, calling it “barbaric, cruel and unjustified”.
“Proactive measures will be taken by the government to stop the ongoing attacks against innocent civilians,” said Gyang Barre, the governor’s spokesperson. Gunfire was still being heard on Monday afternoon, according to a source in the region, which lies on the dividing line between Nigeria’s mostly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south. Marcus Amorudu, a resident of Mushu village, said people were sleeping when the shots were fired.
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