16 killed in fresh central Nigeria attack

At least 16 people have been killed in an attack by unknown gunmen in central Nigeria in the latest violence to hit the region, police say.

State police spokesperson Felicia Anslem told Xinhua on Wednesday that the attack was carried out in the Riyom area of Plateau State.

She added that the gunmen set fire to over 200 houses.

Local lawmaker Daniel Dem said that women and children were among the victims.

Last month, a similar militant attack on a village in Rapyem killed 13 people, including nine children.

Plateau state is situated in Nigeria’s middle belt, where bomb explosions have killed many people, including women and children.

In December, Human Rights Watch said in a report that more than 10,000 people had died in Plateau and neighboring Kaduna State in ethnic or sectarian violence since 1992.