Gunmen kill at least 24 in central Nigeria

At least 24 people were killed in a recent attack in central Nigeria's Plateau state, according to survivors. The assailants, wielding guns and machetes, targeted residents in the village of Bin-Per. Testimonies from local residents, such as Mathew Joseph and Muftwan Yamput, corroborate the grim toll. The attack occurred Monday night when the attackers approached houses before being spotted. Survivors managed to escape before the assailants arrived, narrowly avoiding the carnage.

The Plateau region has long experienced tension between Muslim ethnic Fulani nomadic herders and settled Christian farmers over land and resources. Climate change and human expansion have further exacerbated the situation, heightening competition for dwindling land resources. Factors such as land grabbing, political and economic tensions, and the influx of hardline religious preachers have deepened the divisions between communities.

Weak law enforcement further intensifies the cycle of violence, as reprisal attacks often escalate the conflict.

In a separate incident, two herders were killed last week, triggering a suspected retaliatory attack in the nearby town of Maitimbe, where multiple houses were set ablaze. The violence in Plateau has been attributed to Christian persecution by some, a claim strongly rejected by the Nigerian government and independent researchers. The state has also witnessed urban riots along religious lines, resulting in hundreds of casualties in recent years.