At least 12 killed in Nigeria mining site attack, group says

By Camillus Eboh

ABUJA, ⁠Dec ⁠17 (Reuters) - ‍At least 12 people were killed and three others abducted when ‍gunmen attacked a mining site in ​Atoso village in Nigeria's restive Plateau state, a ​local group leader said on Wednesday.

Dalyop Solomon Mwantiri, who heads the Berom Youth Moulders-Association (BYM) said the ​attackers, who locals identified as armed Fulani militias, struck late on Tuesday, ​leaving five others hospitalized with gunshot wounds.

Police spokesperson Alfred ‌Alabo confirmed investigations were underway.

The latest attack underscores persistent insecurity on the ​Plateau, a flashpoint of ⁠Nigeria's volatile Middle Belt region, where ethnic and religious strife ‌has long fueled deadly farmer-herder clashes. Violence keeps surging despite repeated government vows to ‌restore peace.

Tuesday's attack came just days after four ‌children were killed in a nearby village, Mwantiri said, accusing authorities of ignoring early warning signs. ‍The BYM is urging the government to deploy more security ⁠forces to enforce a ban on open grazing, and rescue the abducted victims.

(Reporting by Camillus Eboh; Writing by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

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