Around 40 dead in Nigeria following attack in Zurak village

The perpetrators of this raid in this locality in the north-central part of the country, located on the border of Plateau State and Taraba State, have not been identified. No demands were made on Tuesday.

In a region of Nigeria affected by land, mining and intercommunity conflicts, armed men on motorcycles attacked, Monday, May 20, a village located on the border of Plateau State and Taraba State. According to an initial provisional report established by local authorities, around forty people were killed in the village of Zurak.

“Armed bandits on motorcycles burst in”in the constituency of Wase, “firing shots and burning houses”, the Plateau State information commissioner, Musa Ibrahim Ashoms, told AFP by telephone on Tuesday. He initially announced 40 victims before finally confirming nine, “For now”. Another local state official told him that“at least 42 people” had been killed.

The villagers “were suddenly attacked, killed and their property destroyed (…) There is no security, bodies have been found and we are still looking for more, at least 40 people have died”said a resident, Adamu Maikasuwa Saluwe. On Tuesday in Zurak, residents buried the dead, and others fled the village taking what they could with them, an AFP journalist noted on the spot.

The perpetrators of this raid, which was not claimed on Tuesday, have not been identified, and the police and the army did not respond to requests from AFP on this subject. This region is known for its significant reserves of tin, zinc and lead, where Nigerian and foreign companies have invested. Illegal mining activities are widespread and give rise to frequent inter-community tensions and violence.