TWELVE people were killed and three others were taken hostage when armed men attacked a mining site in Plateau State, which is in the middle of Nigeria.
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The attack happened on Tuesday evening in Atoso village, located in the Fan District of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area. Miners were working there, and local people called it “legal mining.” Five more people were hurt during the attack.
A local community leader, Solomon Daylop, told the BBC that the attackers came in big groups and started shooting without aiming, which caused a lot of fear and injuries.
He said the injured were rushed to nearby hospitals, while the rest of the villagers were shocked and trying to find out what happened to those who were taken.
So far, the police in Plateau State have not made any official comments about the attack.
This latest violence has made people in the area even more worried.
The region has had many attacks connected to mining, and there are old conflicts between farmers and herders. Plateau State has been the main place where violent conflicts have happened in recent years, usually because of arguments over land, resources, and different ethnic groups.
Armed groups keep targeting mining areas because they see them as chances to make money through extortion and to take control.