ABUJA, Sept. 27– At least six miners were shot dead and two others injured after unidentified gunmen attacked an artisanal mining site in Nigeria’s central Plateau State, multiple sources, including local media, said Sunday.
Dozens of miners fled after the gunmen, who were riding motorcycles, opened fire at the mining site in Lajam Marit Village in the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area on Saturday afternoon.
Citing local sources, the Punch Newspaper, a national daily, reported that the miners were carrying out their activities when they came under attack.
Rwang Tengwong, national spokesman for the Berom Youth Moulders Association, a sociocultural group, told the media that the gunmen fled through a bush path after the attack.
The casualty figures could rise as some miners who fled the scene had yet to return to the affected community as of Sunday, according to other sources. The incident has heightened fears among residents of Lajam Marit and the neighboring Dorowa and Babuje communities.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.
Plateau State is located in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, which links the country’s predominantly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south. The state has experienced recurring violence in recent years, often involving disputes over land and resources between different communities. (Namibia Daily News/ Xinhua)
