Residents say more than 10 illegal miners have been killed in northeast Nigeria’s Mambilla region after clashing with police.
Hammadu Bello said Friday that police tried to dislodge the miners in the Mayo Sine area on Thursday, destroying temporary living structures set up on land allocated to a mining company.
Another resident, Joseph Kataps, says the miners retaliated and attacked police, who opened fire.
Police spokesman David Misal confirms that illegal miners attacked police in Mambilla but says no further details are immediately available.
Some 10,000 illegal miners operate on lands designated for mining companies in the area.
