Sectarian Attack on Village Leaves 4 Nigerians Dead
At least four people in a predominantly Christian village near Jos, Nigeria, were reported dead after a pre-dawn attack Monday by Muslim youth.
According to local reports, a mother and her four children were shot and killed during the attack, though an official reported only a total of four deaths.
Several more were also reportedly wounded in the village of Dabwak, located near Jos, the capital of Nigeria's Plateau state.
"Four people were killed in the attack," Brigadier General Hassan Umaru, commander of a military unit deployed in the area, told Reuters.
"My men are right now combing the area," he added.
Monday's attack was just the latest in an area that has reported over 200 deaths since December resulting from violence between gangs of youth. Victims to date have been largely targeted because of their religious or ethnic identity.
Plateau state is located in the "Middle Belt" area between Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south. Large numbers of both Muslims and Christians reside in the Middle Belt.
