The United States has voiced strong horror over a deadly night attack that left dozens of people dead in their beds in Plateau State in central Nigeria. The assault struck the Bin Mper community also known as Binper in Kombun District of Mangu Local Government Area in the Middle Belt region.
Gunmen moved from house to house in the early hours of Tuesday August 18 2026 killing residents with machetes as they slept.
Most of the victims were women and children. Local reports put the death toll at least at 24 or 25 people with some still missing and others wounded and receiving treatment in hospital. Families held a mass burial for the dead the next day.
The official United States Bureau of African Affairs posted the reaction on its X account on August 19. It described the killings as yet another murderous attack and said the timing was especially troubling right after a recent CPC Working Group meeting.
CPC stands for Country of Particular Concern a United States designation tied to severe violations of religious freedom.
The statement offered deepest condolences to the families of those killed and missing. It also pressed the Nigerian government hard to keep its promises to protect Christian communities and to hold the killers accountable by arresting the perpetrators and bringing them to justice.
This violence fits a long pattern of bloodshed in Plateau State where farming communities mostly Christian and herder groups often clash over land and resources.
The fighting has left thousands dead and many more displaced over the years. Local youth groups have blamed authorities for failing to keep people safe and called for better security.
Police said they were sending officers to the area and would report more details after checking the scene. The Plateau State government condemned the attack urged calm and ordered stronger patrols while warning against any revenge attacks.
The United States has repeatedly raised alarm over violence targeting Christian villages in the Middle Belt. Officials say Nigeria must do more to stop the killings arrest those responsible and hold them fully accountable. No word has come yet from Nigerian federal leaders in direct reply to the latest American statement.
