attacks carried out by armed groups in the center of the country leave at least 113 dead

The governor of Plateau State condemned the attack, calling it “barbaric, brutal and unjustified”.

An attack in the heart of a region plagued for several years by religious and ethnic tensions. Armed men violently attacked, starting Saturday, Sunday, December 23, several villages in Plateau State, in central Nigeria, local authorities announced Monday. “The hostilities that began on Saturday continued Monday morning”declared to AFP Monday Kassah, the president of the government council of Bokkos, a constituency located in this region. “At least 113 bodies have been found”, he added, while the toll given Sunday evening by the army was 16 dead. And “more than 300 people” were injured and transferred to hospitals in Bokkos, Jos and Barkin Ladi, Monday Kassah added.

These armed groups, locally described as “bandits”attacked “no less than 20 villages” between Saturday evening and Monday morning, he said, stressing that “the attacks were well coordinated”. “Proactive measures will be taken by the government to curb the ongoing attacks on innocent citizens,” said Gyang Bere, the governor’s spokesperson. The governor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang, for his part condemned the attack, describing it as “barbaric, brutal and unjustified”.

Residents live in terror

In Nigeria, residents of the country’s northwest and central regions live in terror of attacks by jihadist groups and criminal groups called “bandits” who pillage villages and kill or kidnap the inhabitants.

“We were sleeping at night, when suddenly violent gunshots rang out. We were afraid because we did not expect any attack,” Markus Amorudu, a resident of the village, told AFP. “People hid, but the attackers captured many of us, some were killed, others were injured.” he added.