12/27/2023 1:58 p.m., updated 12/27/2023 1:58 p.m
The head of the local government of Bokko, Nigeria, Monday Kassah, reported that around 198 people were killed in a series of attacks on villages in the region this Wednesday (December 27). On Monday (December 25), the army announced that the death toll was 113, a significant increase.
According to local authorities, attacks on villages last weekend left hundreds dead and at least 300 injured. The Plateau region has been plagued by religious and ethnic tensions for years.
On Monday, Kassah told French news channel AFP that the attacks were caused by a paramilitary group operating in the region.
“Military gangs, locally called “bandits,” launched wellcoordinated attacks in as many as 20 different communities. We found more than 300 injured people,” Kassah said on Monday.
Violence is spreading across the country
The attacks began in the Bokkos area, where they spread to the neighboring village of Barkin Ladi. According to local president Danjuma Dakil, 30 people were found dead.
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On Sunday (December 24), the state's governor, Caleb Mutfwang, described the attack as “barbaric, brutal and unjustified.” According to sources in the region, shots could still be heard late in the afternoon.
Amnesty International criticized in an article