At least 12 people were killed and three others abducted after gunmen attacked a mining site in Atoso village, Plateau State, on Tuesday night, a local group leader said on Wednesday.
Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, leader of the Berom Youth Moulders-Association (BYM), said the attackers—identified by residents as armed Fulani militias—also left five people hospitalised with gunshot wounds.
Police spokesperson Alfred Alabo confirmed that investigations into the incident are ongoing.
The attack highlights the persistent insecurity in Plateau State, a flashpoint in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where long-running ethnic and religious tensions have fueled deadly clashes between farmers and herders despite repeated government assurances of restoring peace.
Tuesday’s attack came just days after four children were killed in a nearby village, Mwantiri said, accusing authorities of ignoring early warning signs.
The BYM is urging the government to deploy more security forces to enforce a ban on open grazing, and rescue the abducted victims.