Gunmen killed at least 16 people Sunday (December 24) in an attack on a village in central Nigeria, a military official said.

“There was an uprising after the incident but the situation has been brought under control,” Captain Oya James told AFP.

The attack took place in the village of Mushu, in Plateau State, a region that has been plagued by religious and ethnic tensions for several years.

“We were sleeping at night when all of a sudden there were loud gunshots. We were scared because we weren’t expecting any attacks,” explained Markus Amorudu, a resident of the village.

“People hid but the attackers captured many of us, some were killed, others were wounded”, he added.

The governor of the state, Caleb Mutfwang, condemned the attack, describing it as “barbaric, brutal and unjustified”.

Security and military personnel were deployed after the attack to monitor the area and prevent public disorder.

“Proactive measures will be taken by the government to curb ongoing attacks on innocent citizens”, said Gyang Bere, the governor’s spokesman.

In Nigeria, people living in the north of the country have been forced to flee their homes.