An armed group killed at least 20 people in a community in north-central Nigeria before exchanging gunfire with police, authorities said Monday, in the latest violence to hit a region long troubled by insecurity.
The attack took place on Sunday in Kawel community in the Bokkos area of Plateau State, police spokesman Alfred Alabo said in a statement. Police officers were quickly deployed to the scene and engaged the attackers in a gun battle, forcing them to withdraw, he said.
No arrests were reported, and no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
“The remains of the victims have since been released to their families for burial, as the families declined autopsy,” Alabo said.
Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang directed the state’s emergency management and humanitarian agencies to provide immediate relief and support to the victims and their families, his spokesperson Joyce Ramnap said in a separate statement.
The attack comes amid a recurring pattern of violence in Plateau State and other parts of north-central Nigeria, where armed groups have repeatedly targeted rural communities.
Nigeria has also battled a long-running insurgency in the northeast that has killed thousands of people and displaced millions over the years, according to the United Nations. Armed gangs are also active in the country’s northwest and north-central regions.
In March, a night-time attack killed 20 people in the Gari Ya Waye community in Plateau State.
