Dayslong Attacks Leave 140 Nigerian Villagers Dead

Herders are suspected in the mass killing amid long-running conflict over resources
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Dec 26, 2023 12:19 PM CST
Dayslong Attacks Leave 140 Nigerian Villagers Dead
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, in white, was elected this year after promising to tackle the security challenges his predecessor failed to address. He has yet to make any public comments about the latest attacks.   (AP Photo/Olamikan Gbemiga, File)

At least 140 people were killed by gunmen who attacked remote villages over two days in north-central Nigeria's Plateau state, survivors and officials said Tuesday. It's only the latest of such mass killings this year blamed on the West African nation's farmer-herder crisis, per the AP. The assailants targeted 17 communities during the "senseless and unprovoked" attacks on Saturday and Sunday, during which most houses in the areas were burned down, said Plateau Gov. Caleb Mutfwang. "As of this morning, in Bokkos, we are counting not less than 100 corpses," he said. "It has been a very terrifying Christmas."

Amnesty International Nigeria's office has so far confirmed 140 deaths in the Christian-dominated Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi local government areas of Plateau, based on data compiled by its workers on the ground and from local officials. Locals feared a higher death toll because some people were missing. Some of the locals said it took more than 12 hours before security agencies responded to their calls for help, a complaint that echoes past concerns about slow interventions in Nigeria's deadly security crisis, which has killed hundreds this year.

No group took responsibility for the attacks, though the blame fell on herders from the Fulani tribe. They have previously been accused of carrying out such mass killings across the northwest and central regions, which are gripped by a decades-long conflict over access to land and water. The conflict also has worsened the sectarian division between Christians and Muslims in Africa's most populous nation. The Nigerian army said it has begun "clearance operations" in search of the suspects, with the help of other security agencies, although arrests are rare in such attacks.

(More Nigeria stories.)

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