At least 12 persons dead from attacks in northern and central Nigeria

At least 12 people were killed Sunday in two separate attacks in Plateau State in central Nigeria.

The first attack occurred Sunday in Kuru locality, where gunmen in a car opened fire on a bar, killing ten people, according to local police spokesman Ubah Ogaba. "Ten people were shot dead in a drinking establishment ... by as yet unidentified gunmen who arrived in a (Toyota) Hilux, before firing several shots and storming off," he said.

According to the police, two people were killed by gunmen on Sunday in the town of Zagun, about 50 km from Kuru. According to a statement by Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong, 12 people died in Kuru and five others were seriously injured.

The motives for the two attacks, which are under investigation, were unknown at the time, according to the police. However, the region is the scene of community tensions. 

Deadly clashes between herders and farmers over land, grazing and water have been going on for years in central and northwestern regions of Nigeria.