Gunmen killed at least sixteen people on Sunday during an attack on a village in central Nigeria, an army officer said.

Clashes broke out after the attack, but “the situation has been brought under control,” Captain Oya James told AFP.

The massacre was committed in the village of Mousou, in the state of Plato, an area where for years there have been many and deadly tensions between Christians and Muslims, members of different tribes, cultivators and breeders…

“We were sleeping when suddenly heavy gunfire was heard. We were scared, we didn’t expect any attack,” explained Markus Amorundou, a resident of the village.

“The people hid, but the attackers captured a large number of our people, some were killed, others were wounded,” he added.

The state’s governor, Caleb Muftwang, condemned the “barbaric” and “unjustified” attack.

Police and military personnel were quickly dispatched to the area to guard it and prevent riots.

“Precautionary measures will be taken (…) to stop attacks against innocent civilians,” announced Giang Bere, the governor’s spokesman.

Residents of northern and central Nigeria are faced with frequent attacks by jihadist organizations on the one hand and gangs of thugs on the other who loot villages, massacre residents or carry out kidnappings for ransom.