The number of fatalities has surged to 80 following a savage assault carried out by an armed group in Plateau state, Nigeria, with survivors frantically searching for the remains of those still missing days after the tragic event unfolded.
According to local residents, the gunmen launched their assault on several villages in the Mangu district of Plateau, beginning on Monday and persisting until Tuesday. Burials are ongoing in various parts of Mangu, 37 miles from Jos, the state capital.
In response to the violence, the police have already apprehended seven suspects, as confirmed by Alabo Alfred, the command spokesman. Alfred provided insight into the scale of the attack, characterizing the situation as a widespread occurrence of intermittent gunfire spanning numerous villages in the area.
The persistent security crisis in Nigeria’s northwest and central regions has profoundly impacted the country’s development, despite its stature as Africa’s largest economy and one of the leading oil producers on the continent.
The conflict spans decades and involves ongoing clashes between current and former pastoralists from the Fulani tribe and farmers over limited access to land and water resources. These attacks often take the form of reprisals and mainly occur in remote regions where security forces find themselves outnumbered and outgunned.
According to statements from local chiefs provided by Plateau’s Deputy Governor, Sonni Tyoden during his visit to the affected areas, at least ten villages fell victim to the attack. Residents claimed that the assailants, identified as herdsmen, attacked in response to a resident’s complaint about their cattle destroying his banana plantation.
Survivors talked about how the assailants arrived in large numbers and spread out across the villages, setting houses ablaze and indiscriminately shooting at people.
Residents also criticized the delayed arrival of security forces, who only appeared on the scene a day after the attack began. Analysts have raised concerns about the sluggish response of security forces when violence erupts.
