Attacks in Central Nigeria Claim At Least 20 Lives in Plateau State

At least 20 people have been killed this week in a fresh surge of violence across the Mangu local government area of Plateau State, local government and humanitarian sources confirmed on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. The casualties resulted from three separate assaults that mark the latest flare-up in the region, which has been plagued by cycles of attacks and reprisals.

Emmanuel Bala, the local government council chairman, told AFP that the violence appears to have escalated from disputes over mining activities in the tin-rich region. He noted a sequence of retaliations following an initial attack on native miners. Eight people were reportedly killed on Tuesday night in Chinchin village by suspected Fulani assailants, while five individuals lost their lives outside Langai town and seven in Bwe district, both on Monday.

The long-standing conflict in Plateau State often sees clashes between Muslim ethnic Fulani nomadic herders and settled farmers, many of whom are Christian, primarily over access to land and resources. These disputes frequently devolve into sectarian reprisals along ethnic and religious lines. A Red Cross official confirmed the death toll in Chinchin and indicated that the total number of fatalities across the 24-hour period could be as high as 21. The ongoing pressure on land due to climate change and human expansion continues to fuel deadly competition in central Nigeria.