At least 140 people were killed by gunmen in north-central Nigeria’s Plateau state. The attacks, which occurred over two days, targeted 17 communities. According to local officials, most houses in the areas were burned down. Plateau Gov. Caleb Mutfwang revealed that 15 people were buried in Mangu, 100 corpses were counted in Bokkos, plus additional uncounted deaths in Barkin Ladi.
Amnesty International Nigeria’s office confirmed 140 deaths in the Christian-dominated Bokkos and Barkin-Ladi local government areas. The data was compiled by workers on the ground and from local officials. Some locals claimed that it took security agencies over 12 hours to respond to their call for help. The deadly security crisis has claimed hundreds of lives, with slow interventions being a concern in Nigeria.
No group took responsibility for the attacks, which were blamed on herders from the Fulani tribe. The Nigerian army said it has begun “clearance operations” in search of the suspects, with the help of other security agencies. However, arrests are rare in such attacks. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who was recently elected, has not made any public comments about the latest attacks. Amnesty International Nigeria’s director Isa Sanusi criticized the government’s failure to protect the people of Nigeria and called it the ‘norm.’