Armed groups have reportedly killed at least 160 people, in a series of attacks on villages in central Nigeria, according to local government officials on Monday.

The attacks occurred in the Bokkos and Barkin Ladi areas of Plateau State, an area plagued by religious and ethnic tensions.

The head of the local government in Bokkos, Plateau State, Monday Kassah, provided grim details, stating, “As many as 113 persons have been confirmed killed as Saturday hostilities persisted to the early hours of Monday.”

He described the attacks as “well-coordinated” and reported that military gangs, locally known as “bandits,” targeted “not fewer than 20 different communities,” leaving houses torched.

“We found more than 300 wounded people,” Kassah added, highlighting the severity of the situation.

The local Red Cross reported a provisional toll of 104 deaths in 18 villages in the Bokkos region alone.

A member of the state parliament, Dickson Chollom, condemned the attacks and urged swift action from the security forces, emphasizing, “We will not succumb to the tactics of these merchants of death. We are united in our pursuit of justice and lasting peace.”

Chollom also confirmed that at least 50 people were killed in attacks on four villages in nearby Barkin Ladi.

Amnesty International’s Nigeria office said the death toll had risen to more than 140 as more bodies of those who tried to escape the attacks were found by search teams.

The violence, which started in the Bokkos area, spilled into neighboring Barkin Ladi, where 30 people were found dead, according to local chairman Danjuma Dakil.

Gunfire could still be heard on Monday afternoon, indicating the volatile situation in the region.

Amnesty International criticized the Nigerian authorities, stating, “The Nigerian authorities have been failing to end frequent deadly attacks on rural communities of Plateau state.”

The region, situated on the dividing line between Nigeria’s mostly Muslim north and mainly Christian south, has witnessed ongoing conflicts, partly fueled by competition for natural resources, climate pressures, and social tensions. Bandit militias, often operating from forest bases, have been a persistent threat, looting villages and kidnapping residents for ransom.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu condemned the violence, promising proactive measures to curb ongoing attacks against innocent civilians.