NIGERIA – At least 9 people were killed by gunmen on New Year’s eve in Nigeria’s Plateau state, according to local authorities.

The attack in Chigwi village, Vwang district, in Jos South Local Government Area occurred late Wednesday, when residents gathered for customary crossover night festivities to welcome the New Year.

Iliya Chung, secretary to the district head of Vwang, who spoke to Anadolu on the phone, said the victims included men, women and children.

“While six bodies were initially recovered on Wednesday, the toll rose to nine by early Thursday after other victims died in hospital,” Chung said.

Local authorities suspended planned New Year’s celebrations, including an event the state governor had been expected to attend.

Plateau state has long endured periodic episodes of violence tied to clashes between armed militia groups, herder-farmer conflicts and banditry. In April 2025, at least 51 people were killed in a series of gunmen attacks on communities in the Zike and Bassa areas, indicating recurring insecurity across the state.

Nigeria’s security crisis has recently drawn international attention and tension, as the US alleged that violence in the country amounts to persecution of Christian communities, with some officials and commentators labelling parts of the conflict as a form of religiously-targeted violence and warning of action if the situation does not improve.

The Nigerian government has rejected claims of genocide or religious targeting, stressing that both Christian and Muslim communities suffer from insecurity and that the violence stems from complex socio-economic and criminal dynamics.

Late last year, the US also carried out airstrikes against militant camps in northwest Nigeria in collaboration with the Nigerian government, as part of counter-terrorism cooperation and efforts to degrade extremist networks.