Gunman attack Nigeria villages, kill 30: Witnesses

Militants in Nigeria

About 30 people have been killed in an early morning raid by unknown militants against two villages in central Nigeria, witnesses say.

Nineteen people were killed in Rajat and 11 others in Atakar in the Riyom local government area of the Plateau state, witnesses told AFP on Tuesday.

At about 3:00 am (0200 GMT) the gunmen "started shooting sporadically, killing innocent villagers in their sleep," one of the witnesses said.

Nigerian police in Plateau state confirmed the attack but could not provide any details about the casualties.
More than 60 houses were demolished and tens of other people were injured, according to witnesses.
Two of the victims were reportedly security agents dispatched to the area.

In a similar attack on Shonong village in Riyom on January 6, 34 people were killed, 24 injured and 600 people displaced, officials said, adding that ethnic Fulani herdsmen were suspected of being behind the attack.

In December 2012, the Human Rights Watch said more than 10,000 people were believed to be dead in Plateau and neighboring Kaduna state since 1992.