At least 113 people have been killed in attacks carried out by armed groups on Saturday and Sunday in several towns in the Plateau State in central Nigeria, according to the local government.
Mandai Kasa, the chairman of the local government council in Bokos, Plateau State, stated, “At least 113 bodies were found, and the clashes that began on Saturday continued until Monday morning.”
A previous toll announced by the army on Saturday had indicated 16 casualties, according to France Presse.
In a statement today, Musa Yahaya, the Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations for the First Division of the Nigerian Army, explained that the forces “killed the militants as part of the ongoing operations by the First Division of the Nigerian Army to rid the region of violent extremists, insurgents, and criminal elements.”
He added that the high readiness forces carried out coordinated attacks in the states of Kaduna and Niger, clearing several hideouts of militants and violent extremists, leading to “the neutralization of many of them and the rescue of a significant number of kidnap victims.”
Yahaya noted that the forces discovered firearms and a single motorcycle after heading to the camp of rebel leader Ali Kashala, who was eliminated, and his fighters fled upon the approach of the forces. The camp search resulted in the rescue of 13 kidnap victims, all males, who had been abducted in Niger on October 13 last year.
The United Nations estimates that over 25 million people in Nigeria may face food insecurity this year, a 47% increase, due to ongoing food insecurity, armed conflicts, and expected rises in food prices.
The report also suggests that around two million children under the age of five in the northern and northeastern states of Nigeria may be at risk of severe acute malnutrition in 2023.
