Gunmen have killed at least a dozen people in the capital, Jos NigeriaThe restive Plateau state, prompting retaliation from the mob that killed 10 more, locals said on Monday.
Plateau State, in the heart of Nigeria’s Central Region, faces frequent violence in the countryside, mostly linked to land disputes between farmers and herdsmen.
Jos has seen incidents of sectarian violence in the past, but deadly, mass-injuring attacks in the populous city have been rare in recent years.
At least 12 people were killed on Sunday when unknown gunmen opened fire at a bar-cum-restaurant in Anguwan Rukuba township, Jos North district, said Plateau State Red Cross State secretary Nurudeen Hussaini Magaji.
At least three people were killed when a mob formed to pursue the attackers, he said, although others put the death toll much higher.
“The attackers shot people in the common area. We are told that 12 people died on the spot,” said Mangalle Idris, a local youth leader.
Then a group of people formed and “attacked people who were passing by or doing business and killed them”.
