LAGOS
\nGunmen riding motorbikes killed around 40 people in a raid on a mining community in northcentral Nigeria, opening fire on residents and torching homes, the local government said on Tuesday.
\nThe attack late on Monday on Wase district in Plateau state was the latest violence in an area which has long been a flashpoint for disputes over resources and for outbreaks of intercommunal clashes.
\nArmed men invaded Zurak community, shooting sporadically and torching houses, Plateau state commissioner for information Musa Ibrahim Ashoms told AFP by telephone.
\n\u201cAs we speak, about 40 people have been confirmed dead. Zurak is a popular mining community,\u201d he said.
\nLocal youth leader Shafi\u2019i Sambo also said at least 42 people had been killed in the raid.
\nWase has deposits of zinc and lead, while Plateau as a whole is known for its tin mining industry.
\nSitting on the dividing line between Nigeria\u2019s mostly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south, Plateau often sees outbreaks of violence sparked by disputes between nomadic herders and pastoral farmers.
\nClimate change has also helped escalate tensions over grazing land, water access and other resources such as the state\u2019s metal reserves.
\nParts of northwest and northcentral Nigeria have also been terrorized by heavily armed criminal gangs, who raid villages to loot and carry out mass kidnappings for ransom.
\nIn January, intercommunal clashes erupted in Plateau\u2019s Mangu town that left churches and mosques burned, more than 50 people dead and thousands displaced.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LAGOS Gunmen riding motorbikes killed around 40 people in a raid on a mining community in northcentral Nigeria, opening fire on residents and torching homes, the local government said on Tuesday. The attack late on Monday on Wase district in Plateau state was the latest violence in an area which has long been a flashpoint […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":408533,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-408506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n