40 Killed As Gunmen Attack Mining Community In Nigeria

Gunmen on bikes killed at least 40 people in a violent attack on a mining community in north-central Nigeria. They fired at the residents and torching homes.

They made their attack late on Monday in an area of Wase district in the Plateau state which has long been a flashpoint for disputes over resources and for outbreaks of inter-communal clashes.

The Zurak community was targeted by the armed men. The attackers fired and torched houses. Zurak is a popular mining community.

Wase area has deposits of zinc and lead, while Plateau state is known for its tin mining industry.

Plateau state is situated between Nigeria’s mostly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south. So, it always witnesses outbreaks of violence sparked by disputes between nomadic herders and pastoral farmers.

In January, intercommunal clashes erupted in Plateau’s Mangu town that left churches and mosques burned, more than 50 people dead and thousands displaced.