LAGOS, Nigeria, Aug 19 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- At least 24 people were killed after gunmen attacked the Bin-Per community in Nigeria’s north-central Plateau State, residents and local sources said Tuesday, in the latest deadly assault to hit the violence-prone region, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
The attackers stormed the community in Kombun District of Mangu Local Government Area late Monday and continued into the early hours of Tuesday, moving from house to house and attacking residents, according to survivors.
Bulus Dabit, president of the Mangu Development Association, said the attackers invaded the community around midnight while residents were asleep.
“We were sleeping when we heard people in our neighbourhood screaming,” resident Mathew Joseph told Anadolu. “I saw armed men approaching my house before I managed to escape.”
Matthew Sylvester Kwarpo, a member of the Plateau State House of Assembly representing Mangu South Constituency, said the attack also resulted in the burning of 38 houses and the destruction of farmlands, stored grains and other valuables.
He urged security agencies to strengthen intelligence gathering and surveillance and ensure the rapid deployment of personnel to vulnerable communities. He also called for emergency assistance, including food, shelter and medical support, for affected residents.
Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang condemned the attack and directed security agencies to intensify surveillance and patrols in Bin-Per and other vulnerable communities in Mangu.
The governor appealed to residents to remain calm and avoid retaliatory attacks while urging them to provide security agencies with information that could help identify and arrest those responsible.
Plateau Police Command spokesman Alfred Alabo confirmed the attack, saying Police Commissioner Faniyan Ayodeji and his team had assessed the situation.
The latest violence follows a series of deadly attacks in Plateau, where longstanding disputes involving farming communities and herders have repeatedly escalated into communal violence.
Plateau has seen a resurgence in deadly violence this year. In June, at least 20 people were killed in an attack on the Kawel community in Bokkos Local Government Area, according to police.
The attackers exchanged gunfire with security forces before retreating, with no arrests initially reported.
-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU