Mass graves as survivors flee Nigeria's Plateau attack

Dozens of bodies have been buried in a mass grave following an attack on a community in Nigeria's Plateau state with many survivors fleeing the area.

Residents of Mwaghavul, a farming community in Mangu area of central Nigeria, told the BBC the assailants charged into their villages on Tuesday, shot indiscriminately before torching buildings.

A community leader told the BBC that "the gunmen invaded up to 17 villages" and that there were at least 85 people who died.

Deborah Samuel, a resident who escaped after hearing gunshots while at a market, said her father-in-law and four of her husband’s younger brothers were killed.

“We suddenly started hearing gunshots from different angles. We started running. I am still in pain of what has happened,” she said, cuddling her months-old baby.

Some of those who fled the attack have taken refuge at a private-run camp for internally displaced people.

It is unclear what caused the attack, but some residents suggest it’s a reprisal to an strike on a Fulani community in the past months.

Competition for land resources has often resulted in ethnic clashes between pastoralists and farmers.

This article originally appeared on BBC News.

Image via Daily Post Nigeria.